Nanoha and the Grand Magic Games
by Star of Fate
Summary: Nanoha is ready to enter her fourth year at St. Hilde's Academy of Magic and this year may be her most dangerous one yet. This year, she is thrown into a magical competition between eight rivaling schools as her archenemy, Stern the Destructor, plots her return from the shadows. But Nanoha's greatest challenge, even more then the Games, may be finding a date to the dance.
1. The Stroder House

**Nanoha and the Grand Magic Games**

**Harry Potter © J.K. Rowling  
Nanoha and other franchises © designated creators**

* * *

**Chapter One: The Stroder House**

The villagers of Lower Saxony still called it "the Stroder House," even though it had been many years since the Stroder family had lived there. It stood on a hill overlooking the village, some of its windows boarded, tiles missing from its roof, and ivy spreading unchecked over its face. Once a fine-looking manor, and easily the largest and grandest building for miles around, the Stroder House was now damp, derelict, and unoccupied.

The people of Lower Saxony all agreed that the old house was "creepy". More than thirty years ago, something strange and horrible happened there, something that the older inhabitant of the village still liked to discuss when topics for gossip were scarce. The story had been picked over so many times, and had been embroidered in so many places, that nobody was quite sure what the truth was anymore. Every version of the tale, however, started in the same place: thirty years before, at day break on a fine winter's morning, when the Stroder House had still been well kept and impressive, a maid had entered the drawing room to find all three Stroders dead.

The maid had run screaming down the hill into the village and roused as many people as she could.

"Lying there with their eyes wide open! Cold as ice! Still in their dinner things!"

The police were summoned, and the whole of Lower Saxony had seethed with shocked curiosity and ill-disguised excitement. Nobody wasted their breath pretending to feel very sad about the Stroders, for they had been most unpopular. Elderly Mr. and Mrs. Stroder had been rich, snobbish, and rude, and their grown-up son, Ulrich, had been, if anything, worse. All the villagers cared about was the identity of the murderer – for plainly, three apparently healthy people did not all drop dead of natural causes on the same night.

The Hanged Man, the village pub, did a roaring trade that night; the whole village seemed to have turned out to discuss the murders. They were rewarded for leaving their firesides when the Stroder's cook arrived dramatically in their midst and announced to the suddenly silent pub that a man called Frank Bryce had been arrested.

"Frank!" cried several people. "Never!"

Frank Bryce was the Stroder's gardener. He lived alone in a rundown cottage on the grounds of the Stroder House. Frank had come back from the war with a very stiff leg and a great dislike of crowds and loud noises, and had been working for the Stroders ever since. There was a rush to buy the cook drinks and hear more details.

"Always thought he was odd," she told the eagerly listening villagers, after her fourth Weizenbock. "Unfriendly, like. I'm sure if I've offered him a drink once, I've offered it a hundred times. Never wanted to mix, he didn't."

"Ah, now, said a woman at the bar, "he had a hard war, Frank. He likes the quiet life. That's no reason to – "

"Who else had a key to the back door, then?" barked the cook. "There's been a spare key hanging in the gardener's cottage far back as I can remember! Nobody forced the door last night! No broken windows! All Frank had to do was creep up to the big house while we was all sleeping…"

The villagers exchanged dark looks.

"I always thought he had a nasty look about him, right enough," grunted a man at the bar.

"War turned him funny if you ask me," said the landlord.

"Told you I wouldn't like to get on the wrong side of Frank, didn't I, Dot?" said an excited woman in the corner.

"Horrible temper," said Dot, nodding fervently. I remember when he was a kid…"

By the following morning, hardly anyone in Lower Saxony doubted that Frank Bryce had killed the Stroders. But over in the neighboring town, in the dark and dingy police station, Frank was stubbornly repeating, again and again, that he was innocent, and that the only person he had seen near the house on the day of the Stroder's deaths had been a teenage girl, a stranger, dark-haired and fair-skinned. Nobody else in the village had seen any such girl, and the police were quite sure that Frank had invented her.

Then, just when things were looking very serious for Frank, the report on the Stroder's bodies came back and changed everything. The police had never read an odder report. A team of doctors had examined the bodies and had concluded that none of the Stroders had been poisoned, stabbed, shot, strangled, suffocated, or (as far as they could tell) harmed at all. In fact (the report continued, in a tone of unmistakable bewilderment), the Stroders all appeared to be in perfect health – apart from the fact that they were all dead. The doctors did note (as though determined to find something wrong with the bodies) that each of the Stroders had a look of terror upon his or her face – but as the frustrated police said, whoever heard of three people being _frightened _to death?

As there was no proof that the Stroders had been murdered at all, the police were forced to let Frank go. The Stroders were buried in the Lower Saxony churchyard, and their graves remained objects of curiosity for a while. To everyone's surprise, and amid a cloud of suspicion, Frank Bryce returned to his cottage on the grounds of the Stroder House.

"As far as I'm concerned, he killed them, and I don't care what the police say," said Dot in the Hanged Man. "And if he had any decency, he'd leave here, knowing as how we know he did it."

But Frank did not leave. He stayed to tend the garden for the next family who lived in the Stroder House, and the next – for neither family stayed long. Perhaps it was partly because of Frank that the new owners said there was a nasty feeling about the place, which, in the absence of inhabitants, started to fall into disrepair.

* * *

The wealthy man who owned the Stroder House these days neither lived there nor put it to any use; they said in the village that he kept it for "tax reasons," though nobody was very clear what these might be. The wealthy owner continued to pay Frank to do the gardening, however. Frank was nearing his seventy-seventh birthday now, very deaf, his bad leg stiffer than ever, but he could be seen pottering around the flower beds in fine weather, even though the weeds were starting to creep up on him, try as he might to suppress them.

Weeds were not the only things Frank had to contend with either. Boys from the village made a habit of throwing stones through the windows of the Stroder House. They rode their bicycles over the lawns Frank worked so hard to keep smooth. Once or twice, they broke into the old house for a dare. They knew that old Frank's devotion to the house and the grounds amounted almost to an obsession, and it amused them to see him limping across the garden, brandishing his stick and yelling croakily at them. Frank, for his part, believed the boys tormented him because they, like their parents, thought him a murderer. So when Frank awoke one night in March and saw something very odd up at the old house, he merely assumed that the boys had gone one step further in their attempts to punish him.

It was Frank's bad leg that woke him; it was paining him worse than ever in his old age. He got up and limped downstairs into the kitchen with the idea of refilling his hot-water bottle to ease the stiffness in his knee. Standing at the sink, filling the kettle, he looked up at the Stroder House and saw lights glimmering in its upper windows. Frank knew at once what was going on. The boys had broken into the house again, and judging by the flickering quality of the light, they had started a fire.

Frank had no phone, and in any case, he had deeply mistrusted the police ever since they had taken him in for questioning about the Stroder's deaths. He put down the kettle at once, hurried back upstairs as fast as his bad leg would allow, and was soon back in his kitchen, fully dressed and removing a rusty old key from its hook by the door. He picked up his walking stick, which was propped against the wall, and set off into the night.

The front door of the Stroder House bore no sign of being forced, nor did any of the windows. Frank limped around to the back of the house until he reached a door almost completely hidden by ivy, took out the old key, put it into the lock, and opened the door noiselessly.

He let himself into the cavernous kitchen. Frank had not entered it for many years; nevertheless, although it was very dark, he remembered where the door into the hall was, and he groped his way toward it, his nostrils full of the smell of decay, ears pricked for any sound of footsteps or voices from overhead. He reached the hall, which was a little lighter owing to the large mullioned windows on either side of the front door, and started to climb the stairs, blessing the dust that lay thick upon the stone, because it muffled the sounds of his feet and stick.

On the landing, Frank turned right, and saw at once where the intruders were: at the very end of the passage a door stood ajar, and a flickering light shone through the gap, casting a long sliver of gold across the black floor. Frank edged closer and closer, grasping his walking stick firmly. Several feet from the entrance, he was able to see a narrow slice of the room beyond. The fire, he now saw, had been lit in the grate. This surprised him. Then he stopped moving and listened intently, for a man's voice spoke within the room; it sounded strong and monotonous.

"There is still a little more in the syringe, Master, if you require it."

"Later," said a second voice. This one belonged to a woman – but it was strangely deep, and cold as a sudden blast of icy wind. Something about that voice made the sparse hairs on the back of Frank's neck stand up. "Move me closer to the fire, Wesker."

Frank turned his right ear toward the door, the better to hear. There came the click of glass being put down upon some hard surface, and then the dull scraping noise of a heavy chair being dragged across the floor. Frank caught a glimpse of a stalwart man, his back to the door, pushing the chair into place. He was wearing a long black trench coat and, oddly enough, Frank could tell he was wearing sunglasses, even though it was the middle of the night. Then he went out of sight again.

"Where is Luciferion?" said the cold voice.

"I sent him to examine the grounds," said the first voice firmly. "I wanted to make sure we wouldn't have to worry about any unwanted intruders."

"Excellent, and be sure craft more of that elixir before we retire, Wesker," said the second voice. "I will need an injection in the night. This body is unstable and the journey has tired me greatly."'

Brow furrowed, Frank inclined his good ear still closer to the door, listening very hard. There was a pause, and then the man called Wesker spoke again.

"Master, may I ask how long you intend to stay on this ugh – disgusting Non-Administrated world"

"A week," said the cold voice. "Perhaps longer. The place is moderately comfortable, and the plan cannot proceed without the necessary components that your drones are currently searching for. It would be foolish to act before the Riot Force Dimensional Cup is over."

Frank inserted a gnarled finger into his ear and rotated it. Owing, no doubt, to a buildup of earwax, he had heard something about a Riot Force," which didn't seem like something that sounded real enough.

"The Riot Force Dimensional Cup?" said Wesker. (Frank dug his finger more vigorously into his ear.) "Ah, yes, now I remember. The Dimensional Cup is taking place on Non-Administrated World #97. At this very moment mages are pouring in from all over the universe, and every meddler from the Time-Space Administration Bureau, will be on duty, on the watch for signs of unusual activity, checking and double-checking identities. They will be obsessed with security, lest the Machlos notice anything."

Frank stopped trying to clear out his ear. He had distinctly heard the words "Time-Space Administration Bureau," "mages," and "Machlos". Plainly, each of these expressions meant something secret, and Frank could think of only two sorts of people who would speak in code: spies and criminals. Frank tightened his hold on his walking stick once more, and listened more closely still.

"I take it that Master is still determined, then?" said Wesker.

"Certainly I am determined, Wesker." There was a note of menace in the cold voice now.

"It could be done without Nanoha Takamachi, Master," said Wesker.

"Without Nanoha Takamachi?" breathed the second voice softly. "I see…"

"Master, you have to understand my reasoning," said Wesker. "Laying hands on Nanoha Takamachi would be exceedingly difficult as she is constantly guarded by the likes of the TSAB and Carim Gracia. I just feel that I might be more prudent to use something that you are familiar with; something that you will be able to adjust to once you regain your strength. I wouldn't be impossible for one of underlings in the TSAB to slip inside and recover parts of your old self. Then you would be able to draw on your own strength immediately rather than wait for a definite recovery."

"Yes, that would be sensible…" said the second voice in a whisper that was almost a hiss. "But I have my reasons for using the girl, as I have already explained to you, and I will use no other. I have waited thirteen years. A few more months will make no difference. As for the protection surrounding the girl, I believe my plan will be effective. All that is needed little assistance from our mutual friend, Wesker. _He _will be the one to bring her to us."

"And what about Eliza Falkner?" said Wesker. "Surely her disappearance won't go unnoticed for long, and if we proceed, if I kill – "

"If?" whispered the second voice. "_If?_ If you follow the plan, Wesker, the TSAB need never know that anyone else has died. You will do it quietly and without fuss; I only wish I could do it myself, but in my present condition...come, Wesker, one more death and our path to Nanoha Takamachi is clear. I am not asking you to do it alone. By that time, our mutual friend will have rejoined us – "

"If he is to accept our offer," said Wesker with a hint of doubt.

"Oh, he will join us, that I have no doubts," said the second voice. "It was your stroke of brilliance that assured this when you brought us Eliza Falkner. The information she carried with her was invaluable. Without it, I could never have formed our plan, and for that, you will have your reward, Wesker. When I have gained a stable body, I will grant you what it is you have desired for so long, what you have strived for during your many years of faithful service…"

"Yeah are too kind, Master," said Wesker.

"Yes, I am feeling uncharacteristically gracious in recent days," said the second voice. "I suppose it is because after thirteen years of dreadful wandering, there is small glimmer of hope. And putting Eliza Falkner to death made me feel nostalgic for the old days when I was in power and the pathetic worms trembled at the mere mention of my name. They still do, but now that fear is slowly dissipating. I just wanted to leave a small reminder that there is still much to fear."

"But wouldn't killing her have only made them suspicious?" said Wesker. "Would it have not been more sensible to return her to the Time-Space Administration Bureau with her memory modified?"

"_Her memory modified?_" the second voice laughed – an entirely mirthless laugh, cold as her speech. "Spells to modify a person's memory can be broken by a powerful mage, as I proved when I questioned her. It would be an insult to her _memory _not to use the information I extracted from her, Wesker."

Out in the corridor, Frank suddenly became aware that the hand gripping his walking stick was slippery with sweat. The woman with the cold voice had killed someone. She was talking about it without any kind of remorse – with _amusement_. She was dangerous – a madwoman. And she was planning more murders – this girl, Nanoha Takamachi, whoever she was – was in danger –

Frank knew what she must do. Now, if ever, was the time to go to the police. She would creep out of the house and head straight for the telephone box in the village…but the cold voice was speaking again, and Frank remained where he was, frozen to the spot, listening with all his might.

"One more murder…our mutual friend at St. Hilde…Nanoha Takamachi is as good as mine, Wesker. It is decided. There will be no more argument. But quiet…I think I hear Luciferion…"

Both man and woman went silent. Frank leaned in closer, listening inside the room, when he thought he saw something move out of the corner of his eye, and turned around. Frank was astonished when it saw it – not an a person, or even an animal, but a tiny purple jewel floating level with his eyes, flapping tiny wings of crimson light on its sides. Frank rubbed his eyes vigorously, not believing what he was seeing and looked again. The jewel was still there, only now there was something written across the surface of the gem. Frank couldn't make out what it was saying – it looked like it was written in an alien language.

The writing vanished, much to Frank's relief, the floating, winged jewel passed around his head, and slipped through the gap in the door. There was sweat on Frank's forehead now, and the hand on the walking stick was trembling. Inside the room, he caught a glimpse of the flying jewelry flapping around the chair, and Frank was visited by a strange idea, and impossible idea…_these people aren't human_.

Frank didn't understand what was going on. He wanted more than anything to be back in his bed with his hot-water bottle. The problem was that his legs didn't seem to want to move. As he stood there shaking and trying to master himself, he heard a third voice in the room, this one masculine and almost mechanical.

"**My Lord, I have finished my search of the grounds,**" said the third voice.

"And what did you find, Luciferion?" asked the cold woman

"**The perimeter of the manor is clear and the grounds are secure,**" said Luciferion. "**Except there is an old Machlos standing right outside this room, listening to every word we say.**"

Frank didn't have a chance to hide himself. In less than two seconds, the door of the room was flung wide open. A tall, muscular man with short blonde hair, and blaring red eyes shining through his dark sunglasses stood before Frank, a mixture of anger and alarm in his face.

"Invite him inside, Wesker. Where are your manners?"

The cold voice was coming from the ancient armchair before the fire, but Frank couldn't see the speaker. The floating jewel was flapping circles around the chair, blaring different alien letters on it with crimson. Wesker grabbed Frank by the collar and dragged him into the room, slamming the door shut behind him. Though still deeply shaken, Frank took a firmer grip upon his walking stick and limped into the center of the room. The fire was the only source of light in the room; it cast long spidery shadows upon the walls. Frank stared at the back of the armchair; the woman inside it seemed to be very small, for Frank couldn't see the back of her head.

"You heard everything, Machlos?" said the cold voice.

"What's that you're calling me?" said Frank defiantly, for now that he was inside the room, now that the time had come for some sort of action, he felt braver; it had always been so in the war.

"I am calling you a Machlos," sand the voice coolly. "It means that you are not a mage, literally powerless."

"I don't know what you mean by mage," said Frank, his voice growing steadier. "All I know is I've heard enough to interest the police tonight, I have. You've done a murder and you're planning more! And I'll tell you this too," he added, on a sudden inspiration, "my wife knows I'm up here, and if I don't come back – "

"You have no wife," said the cold voice, very quietly. "Nobody knows you are here. You told nobody that you were coming. Do not lie to Stern the Destructor, the Queen of Darkness, Machlos, for she knows…she always knows…"

"Is that right?" said Frank roughly. "Queen, is it?" Well, I didn't think much of your manners, _your majesty_. Turn around and face me like a man, why don't you?"

"But I am not a man, Machlos," said the cold voice, barely audible now over the crackling of the flames. "I am much, much more than a man. However…why not? I will face you…Wesker, come turn my chair around."

Slowly, with his face screwed up, as though he would rather not waste his master's time on this little man, the stalwart man walked forward and began to turn the chair. The winged jewelry dropped out of the air, landed in the lap of the woman, and then there was a brief flash of crimson light before the chair had been full turned around.

And then the chair was facing Frank, and he saw what was sitting in it. His walking stick fell to the floor with a clatter. He opened his mouth and let out a scream. He was screaming so loudly that he never heard the words the thing in the chair spoke as it raised its weapon. There was a flash of crimson light, a rushing sound, and Frank Bryce crumpled. He was dead before he hit the floor.

Several thousand miles away, in the far distant country of Japan, the girl called Nanoha Takamachi woke with a start.

* * *

**DUN DUN DUN! I love saying that! What better way to start one of the best books in the series that with a spine chilling opening chapter. Stern the Destructor is back after a year of not trying to kill Nanoha (as a Homunculus or a Program) and now she has the help of THE Albert Wesker and a mysterious partner in St. Hilde. The next chapter is a rather short one as we catch up with Nanoha since she left St. Hilde after a daring rescue to save her half-sister. So stay tuned for the next thrilling episode of the GRAND – MAGIC – GAMES! *Plays fanfare***

**No corner this time, but I promise there will be one in the next chapter.**


	2. The Scar

**Nanoha and the Grand Magic Games**

**Harry Potter © J.K. Rowling  
Nanoha and other franchises © designated creators**

* * *

**Chapter Two: The Scar**

Nanoha lay flat on her back, breathing hard as though she had been running. She had awoken from a vivid dream with her hands pressed over her chest. The old scar on her collar, which was shaped like a star, was burning beneath her fingers, as though someone had just pressed a white-hot wire to her skin.

She sat up, one hand still on her scar, the other reaching out for her Intelligent Device, Raising Heart, who was on a pillow on her bedside table. She peered into her own reflecting on the jewel's polished surface, wondering whether or not she should activate Raising Heart so early. In the end, Nanoha chose not to. Raising Heart was still adjusting to her new body and the strain exhausted the Device to her limit.

Nanoha ran her finger over the scar again. It was still painful. She turned on the lamp beside her, scrambled out of bed, crossed the room, opened her closest, and peered into the mirror on the inside of the door. A skinny girl of fourteen looked back at her, her crystal blue eyes puzzled under her untidy auburn hair. She pulled down the collar of her nightshirt and examined the star-shaped scar of her reflection more closely. It looked normal, but it was still stinging.

Nanoha tried to recall what she had been dreaming about before she had awoken. It had seemed so real…there had been two people she knew and one she didn't. She concentrated hard, frowning, trying to remember. The dim picture of a darkened room came to her. there had been an amethyst copy of Raising Heart…a man called Albert Wesker, the owner of Resident Evil…and a deep, cold voice…the voice of Stern the Destructor. Nanoha felt as though an ice cube had slipped down into her stomach at the very thought…

She closed her eyes tightly and tried to remember what Stern had looked like, but it was impossible. All Nanoha knew was that at the moment when Stern's chair had swung around, and she, Nanoha, had seen what was sitting in it, she had felt a spasm of horror, which had awoken her…or had that been the pain in her scar?

And who had that old man been? For there had definitely been an old man; Nanoha had watched him fall to the ground. It was all becoming confused. Nanoha put her face into her hands, blocking out her bedroom, trying to hold on to the picture of that dimly lit room, but it was like trying to keep water in her cupped hands; the details were now trickling away as fast as she tried to hold on to them. Stern and Wesker had been talking about someone they had killed, though Nanoha could not remember the name…and they had been plotting to kill someone else…_her_!

Nanoha took her face out of her hands, opened her eyes, and stared around her bedroom as though expecting to see something unusual there. As it happened, there were an extraordinary number of unusual things in this room. A number of bags stood open at the foot of her bed, revealing a chemistry set, her Barrier Jacket, and assorted spell books. Stacks of paper littered that part of her desk that was not taken up by the large, empty cage in which her Fay, Lucy, usually perched. On the floor beside her bed a book lay open; Nanoha had been reading it before she fell asleep last night. Men and women in mossy green uniforms were flying in the air, throwing a red ball to one another.

Nanoha walked over to the book, picked it up, and looked at the picture of one of the players scoring a spectacular goal by punting it into the net. Then she snapped the book shut. Even Riot Force – in Nanoha's opinion, the best sport in the world – couldn't distract her at the moment. She placed _Blazing with Belka _on her bedside table, crossed to the window, and drew back the curtains to survey the street below.

Erica Road looked exactly as a respectable suburban street would be expected to look in the early hours of Saturday morning. All the curtains were closed. As far as Nanoha could see through the darkness, there wasn't a living creature in sight, not even a cat.

And yet…and yet…Nanoha went restlessly back to the bed and sat down on it, running a finger over her scar again. It wasn't the pain that bothered her; Nanoha was no stranger to pain and injury. She had her arm chopped off by an incompetent teacher once and had it painfully regrown in a night. The same arm has been speared through by an Espada not long afterward. Only last year Nanoha had fallen fifty feet while still airborne. She was used to bizarre accidents and injuries; they were unavoidable if you attended St. Hilde's Academy of Magic and had a knack for attracting a lot of trouble.

No, the thing that was bothering Nanoha was that the last time her scar had hurt, it was because Stern had been close by. But Stern could be here, now. The idea of Stern lurking in Erica Road was absurd, impossible. Nanoha listened closely to the silence around her. Was she half-expecting to hear the creak of a stair or the swish of a cloak? And then she jumped slightly as she heard her cousin Kenta give a tremendous grunting snore from the next room.

Nanoha shook herself mentally; she was being stupid. There was no one in the house with her except Uncle Kenji, Aunt Kurima, and Kenta, and they were plainly still asleep, their dreams untroubled and painless.

Asleep was the way Nanoha liked the Henkens best; it wasn't as though they were ever any help to her awake. Uncle Kenji, Aunt Kurima, and Kenta were Nanoha's only living relatives until last year. They were Machlos who hated and despised magic in any form, which meant that Nanoha was about as welcome in their house as dry rot. They had explained away Nanoha's long absences at St. Hilde over the last three years by telling everyone that she went to St. Bernard's Center for Incurable Criminal Girls. They knew perfectly well that, as an underage mage, Nanoha wasn't allowed to use magic outside St. Hilde, but they were still apt to blame her for anything that went wrong about the house. Nanoha had never been able to confide in them or tell them anything about her life on Mid-Childa. The very idea of going to them when they awoke, and telling them about her scar hurting her, and about her worries about Stern, was laughable.

And yet it was because of Stern that Nanoha had come to live with the Henkens in the first place. If it hadn't been for Stern, Nanoha would not have had the star scar on her chest. If it hadn't been for Stern, Nanoha would still have her family…

Nanoha had been a year old that night that Stern – the most powerful Dark mage for a century, a mage who had been gaining power steadily for years – arrived at her house and killed her father, brother, sister, and mother. Stern had then turned her Device on Nanoha; she had performed the curse that had disposed of many full-grown mages in her steady rise to power – and, incredibly, it had not worked. Instead of killing the small girl, the curse had rebounded upon Stern. Nanoha had survived with nothing but a star-shaped cut on her chest, and Stern had been reduced to something barely alive. Her powers gone, her life almost extinguished, Stern had fled; the terror in which the galaxy had lived for so long had lifted, Stern's followed had disbanded, and Nanoha Takamachi had become famous.

It had become enough of a shock for Nanoha to discover, on her eleventh birthday, that she was a mage; it had been even more disconcerting to find out that everyone on Mid-Childa knew her name. Nanoha had arrived at St. Hilde to find that heads turned and whispers followed her wherever she went. But she was used to it now: at the end of this month, she would be starting her fourth year at St. Hilde, and Nanoha was already counting the days until she would be back at the church again.

But there was still a fortnight to go before she went back to school. She looked hopelessly around her room, and her eye paused on the birthday cards her four best friends had sent her on the 15th. What would they say if Nanoha wrote to them and told them about her scar hurting? At once, Teana Lancaster's voice seemed to fill her head, shrill and panicky.

"_Your scar hurt? Nanoha-san, that's really serious. Write to Carim-Sama! And I'll go check _Common Magical Ailments and Afflictions. _Maybe there's something in there about curse scars…_"

Yes, that would be Teana's advice: go straight to the headmistress of St. Hilde, and in the meantime, consult a book. Nanoha stared out the window at the inky blue-black sky. She doubted very much whether a book could help her now. As far as she knew, she was the only living person to have survived a curse like Stern's; it was highly unlikely, therefore, that she would find her symptoms listed in _Common Magical Ailments and Afflictions_. As for informing the headmistress, Nanoha had no idea where Carim went during the holidays. She amused herself for a moment, picturing Carim stretched out on a bench, wearing a tiny bikini, rubbing suntan lotion all over her – Nanoha stopped herself right there. She was starting to think like Hayate. Wherever Carim was, though, Nanoha was sure that Lucy would be able to find her; Nanoha's Fay had never yet failed to deliver a letter to anyone, even without an address. But what would she write?

_Dear Carim-Sama, sorry to bother you, but my scar hurt this morning. Yours sincerely, Nanoha Takamachi._

Even inside her head the words sounded stupid. And so she tried to imagine her other friends' reaction, and in a moment, Hayate's pale and dark-haired face seemed to swim before Nanoha, wearing a bemused expression.

"_Your scar hurt? But…but the Dark Queen can't be near you now, can she? I mean…you'd know, wouldn't you? She'd be trying to do you in again, wouldn't she? I dunno, Nanoha-Chan, maybe curse scars always twinge a bit…I'll ask Zafira…_"

Hayate's older brother was a fully qualified mage who worked for the Wolkenritter at the Time-Space Administration Bureau, but he didn't have any particular expertise in the matter of curses, as far as Nanoha knew. In any case, Nanoha didn't like the idea of the whole Yagami family know she, Nanoha, was getting jumpy about a few moments' pain. Shamal would fuss worse than Teana, and Vita, Hayate's younger sister, might think Nanoha was just being a wimp. The Yagamis were Nanoha's favorite family in the world; she was hoping that they might invite her to stay any time now (Hayate had mentioned something about the Riot Force Dimensional Cup), and she somehow didn't want her visit punctured with anxious inquires about her scar.

Nanoha pressed down on her chest. What she really wanted (and felt almost shameful to admit to herself) was someone like – someone like a _parent_: an adult mage whose advice she could ask without feeling stupid, someone who cared about her, who had experience with Dark Magic. And then the solution came to her. It was so simple, and so obvious, that she couldn't believe it had taken so long – _Arf_.

Nanoha leapt up from the bed, hurried across the room, and sat down at her desk; she pulled a piece of paper toward her and wrote _Dear Onee-chan_, then paused, wondering how best to phrase her problem, still marveling at the fact that she hadn't thought of Arf straight away. But then, perhaps it wasn't so surprising – after all, she had only found out that Arf was her half-sister two months ago.

There was a simple reason for Arf's complete absence from Nanoha's life until then – Arf had been in Gefängnis, the terrifying orbital prison guarded by creatures called Heartless, soulless, demons of shadow who had come to search for Arf at St. Hilde when she had escaped. Yet Arf had been innocent – the murders for which she had been convicted had been committed by Due, a combat cyborg that served Stern. It had only been with the help of Nanoha, Fate, Hayate, and, as much as she hated to admit it, Fate's mother, Presea Testarossa, that Arf was able to claim her innocence and set free of the charges against her.

Though Arf had been found innocent by the High Council after a long session of trials, she and Nanoha sadly couldn't live together just yet. Arf had been convicted of murder when she was twelve and had no money to buy herself a house to live in and the Henkens weren't about to roll out the welcome mat for another "freak", as they put it, especially not for her father's illegitimate child. Nanoha was grateful to her best friend, Fate, had managed to convince her mother to let Arf stay at their place until she could pay for a house of her own. Of course, having a firm grudge on both of her parents, Presea was a strict taskmaster, according to Fate's letters.

Nevertheless, Arf had been of some help to Nanoha, even if she couldn't be with her. It was due to Arf that Nanoha now had all her school things in her bedroom with her. the Henkens had never allowed this before; their general wish of keeping Nanoha as miserable as possible, couples with their fear of her powers, had led them to lock her school supplies in the basement every holiday prior to this. But their attitude had changed since Arf had come to visit Nanoha for her birthday – for Nanoha had conveniently forgotten to tell them that Arf was innocent.

Nanoha had received two letters from Arf since she had been back at Erica Road. Both had been delivered, not by Fay (as was usual with mages), but by adorable little wolf cubs. Because she could shape-shift into a Garm, Arf had an affinity with wolves and could communicate with them to deliver messages for her. Nanoha couldn't help smiling when she received her second letter from Arf when she had been forced to help Aunt Kurima tend to the garden and tiny wolf had burst through the shrubs, yipping away like an excitable puppy. Aunt Kurima had screamed and raced back into the house, locking herself in the basement until Uncle Kenji had pried the door off its hinges. Arf's letters, which were now hidden beneath the highly useful loose floorboard under Nanoha's bed, said that she was working hard, and reminded Nanoha to call on her if ever Nanoha needed to. Well, she needed to now, all right…

Nanoha's lamp seemed to grow dimmer as the cold gray light that precedes sunrise slowly crept into the room. Finally, when the sun had risen, when her bedroom walls had turned gold, and when sounds of movement could be heard from Uncle Kenji and Aunt Kurima's room, Nanoha cleared her desk of crumpled pieces of paper and reread her finished letter.

_**Dear Onee-chan,**_

_**Thanks for your last letter. That cub was SO cute, and it scared the manure out of Aunt Kurima.**_

_**Things are the same as usual here. Kenta's diet isn't going very well. Aunt Kurima found him smuggling doughnuts into his room yesterday. They told him they'd have to cut his pocket money if he keeps doing it, so he got really angry and threw his Playstation 9 out the window. That's a sort of computer thing you can play games on, but I bet Mid-Childa has way more advanced systems than that. A bit stupid really, now he doesn't something to take his mind off things.**_

_**I'm okay, mainly because the Henkens are terrified you might turn up and feed them to the wolves if I ask you to.**_

_**A weird thing happened this morning, though. My scar hurt again. Last time that happened it was because Stern was at St. Hilde. But I don't think she can be anywhere near me now, can she?" Do you know if curse scars sometimes hurt years afterward?**_

_**I'll send this with Lucy when he gets back; she's off on a date with the Nakajima's Fay, Natsu, at the moment. Say hello to Fate-Chan and Toothless for me.**_

_**Nanoha**_

Yes, thought Nanoha, that looked all right. There was no point putting in the dream; she didn't want it to look as though she was too worried. She folded up the paper and laid it aside on her desk, ready for when Lucy returned. Then she got to her feet, streteched, and opened her closet once more. She started to get dressed, pulled her hair into a little side tail – her newest trend – and tied Raising Heart around her neck before going down to breakfast.

* * *

**Yes, this a little bland chapter that basically tells everything that had happened in the last three stories, which everyone she pretty much know by now since you had read this far – hopefully. I find it to be a rather pointless chapter since nothing happens except the letter, but I have to follow things through to make the story work. Thankfully, things begin to pick up when Nanoha receives an invitation from the Yagami family and we can have a little fun with Kenta. Until next time, stay tuned for the next semi-thrilling episode of the Grand – Magic – Games!**

* * *

**~Nanoha's Corner~**

**1: A Maid's Troubles**

Arf Takamachi grimaced as she dusted the musty swept the dusty hallway of the Testarossa Manor, frowning harder when some of the dust got on her new maid uniform. She started running through her mind how she, once the top of her class at St. Hilde Academy of Magic, had been reduced to a cleaning lady to a high-profile family. Because she had been arrested during her second year, Arf never had the chance to complete her education and certainly didn't have the money to go back, despite Nanoha's insistence on paying with her own fortune.

Nanoha was a sweet little sister, but Arf knew that Nanoha was a sweet little sister, but even she didn't have enough to pay for both of them. Arf supposed she should have been grateful that Presea just didn't simply throw her to the Heartless and just let her live in the manor as Fate's pet, even if it meant doing work that was usually reserved for the slaves. On the bright side, Presea did give her a generous pay and she got to wear a cute maid outfit to boot!

"Takamachi, bring me the acetylene!" Presea snapped. "And be careful this time! I don't want you blowing up the house again!"

"Right away, mistress!" said Arf, handing the scientist her chemicals very carefully.

"Arf, can you bring me my Black Coat!" Fate called from upstairs. "I think it's in the dryer!"

"Right away, Fate!" Arf shouted. She quickly dashed to the laundry room, grabbed Fate's black coat, and dashed upstairs.

"Arf, have you seen my sexy red lingerie?" asked another woman's voice. "You know, the ones I was wearing when Presea was bending me over her desk - "

"It should be in the second drawer on the right, Lindy-san!" said Arf quickly, turning red in the face.

"Arf, could you make me a sandwich?" another woman yelled. "And could you make it whole wheat instead of white bread - I need to be fit for match!"

"Right away, Alicia-san!" Arf yelped, making a mad dash for the kitchen.

"Arf, don't forget to feed the giant squid!" a man's voice shouted this time.

"Yes, Chrono-san – wait, what?" said Arf.

Having been running ragged for the last hour, Arf had unsuspectingly walked out to the lake in the background of the Testarossa grounds, carrying a bucket of shrimp near the shore. It was then that Arf realized she didn't know the Testarossas even had a giant squid. She certainly found out the hard way when one of the squid's arms wrapped around her legs and pulled her under. Two minutes later, the giant squid burped loudly, and Arf, covered in a combination of saliva and mucus, flopped on the grass.

"You know, prison doesn't seem so bad now," said Arf.


	3. The Invitation

**Nanoha and the Grand Magic Games**

**Harry Potter © J.K. Rowling  
Nanoha and other franchises © designated creators**

* * *

**Chapter Three: The Invitation**

By the time Nanoha arrived in the kitchen, the three Henkens were already seated around the table. None of them looked up as she entered or sat down Uncle Kenji's large red face was hidden behind the morning's Uminari News, and Aunt Kurima was cutting a grapefruit into quarters, her lips pursed over her horselike teeth.

Kent looked furious and sulky, and somehow seemed to be taking up even more space than usual. This was saying something, as he always took up an entire side of the square table by himself. When Aunt Kurima put a quarter of unsweetened grapefruit onto Kenta's plate with a tremulous "There you are, darling," Kenta glowered at her. his life had taken a most unpleasant turn since he had come home for the holidays with his end-of-year report.

Uncle Kenji and Aunt Kurima had managed to find excuses for his bad marks as usual: Aunt Kurima always insisted that Kenta was a very gifted boy whose teachers didn't understand him, while Uncle Kenta maintained that "he didn't want some swotty little nancy boy for a son anyway". They also skated over the accusations of bullying in the report – "He's a boisterous little boy, but he wouldn't hurt a fly!" Aunt Kurima had said tearfully.

However, at the bottom of the report there were a few well-chosen comments from the school nurse that not even Uncle Kenji and Aunt Kurima could explain away. No matter how much Aunt Kurima wailed that Kenta was big-boned, and that his poundage was really baby fat, and that he was a growing boy who needed plenty of food, the fact remained that the school outfitters didn't stock uniforms big enough for him anymore. The school nurse had seen what Aunt Kurima's eyes – so sharp when it came to spotting fingerprints on her gleaming walls, and in observing the comings and goings of the neighbor – simply refused to see: that far from needing extra nourishment, Kenta had reached roughly the size and weight of a young killer whale.

So – after many tantrums, after arguments that shook Nanoha's bedroom floor, and many tears from Aunt Kurima – the new regime had begun. The diet sheet that had been sent by the school nurse had been taped to the fridge, which had been emptied of all Kenta's favorite things – soda and cakes, chocolate bars and burgers – and filled instead with fruit and vegetables and the sort of things that Uncle Kenji called "rabbit food". To make Kenta feel better about it all, Aunt Kurima had insisted that the whole family follow the diet too. She now passed a grapefruit quarter to Nanoha. She noticed that it was a lot smaller than Kenta's. Aunt Kurima seemed to feel that the best way to keep up Kenta's morale was to make sure that he did, at least, get more to eat than Nanoha.

But Aunt Kurima didn't know what was hidden under the loose floorboard upstairs. She had no idea that Nanoha was not following the diet at all. The moment she had got wind of the fact that she was expected to survive the holidays on carrot sticks, Nanoha had sent Lucy to her friends with pleas for help, and they had risen to the occasion magnificently. Lucy had returned Teana's and Subaru's house with a large box stuffed full of sugar-loaded snacks. Schach, Erio, and Caro had obligated with a sack full of homemade cinnamon rolls and pizza bagels. Fate and Arf pooled together to send Nanoha a basket of cooked meat and pork. Shamal, however, had sent the family Fay, Makarov, with an enormous fruitcake and assorted fruit pies. Poor Makarov, who was elderly and feeble, had needed a full five days to recover from the journey.

And then on Nanoha's birthday (which the Henkens had completely ignored) Arf appeared on the Henken's doorstep with her arms loaded with five superb birthday cakes, one each from Fate, Hayate, Schach, Teana, and Subaru. Nanoha still had two of them left, and so, looking forward to a real breakfast when she got back upstairs, she ate her grapefruit without complaint.

Uncle Kenji laid aside his paper with a deep sniff of disapproval and looked down at his own grapefruit quarter.

"Is this it?" he said grumpily to Aunt Kurima.

Aunt Kurima gave him a severe look, and then nodded pointedly at Kenta, who had already finished his own grapefruit quarter and was eyeing Nanoha's with very sour look in his piggy little eyes. Uncle Kenji gave a great sigh, which ruffled his large, bushy mustache, and picked up his spoon.

The doorbell rang. Uncle Kenji heaved himself out of his chair and set off down the hall. Quick as a flash, while his mother was occupied with the kettle, Kenta stole the rest of Uncle Kenji's grapefruit. Nanoha heard talking at the door, and someone laughing, and Uncle Kenji answering curtly. Then the front door closed, and the sound of ripping paper came from the hall.

Aunt Kurima set the teapot down on the table and looked curiously around to see where Uncle Kenji had gone to. She didn't have to wait long to find out; after about a minute, he was back. He looked livid.

"You," he barked at Nanoha. "In the living room. Now."

Bewildered, wondering what on Earth or Mid-Childa she was supposed to have done this time, Nanoha got up and followed Uncle Kenji out of the kitchen and into the next room. Uncle Kenji closed the door sharply behind both of them.

"So," he said, marching over to the fireplace and turning to face Nanoha as though he were about to pronounce her under arrest. "_So_."

Nanoha would have dearly loved to have said, "So what?" but she didn't feel that Uncle Kenji's temper should be tested this early in the morning, especially when it was already under severe strain from lack of food. She therefore settled for looking politely puzzled.

"This just arrived," said Uncle Kenji. He brandished a piece of purple writing paper at Nanoha. "A letter. About you."

Nanoha's confusion increased. Who would be writing to Uncle Kenji about her? Who did she know who sent letters by the mailman? Uncle Kenji glared at Nanoha, then looked down at the letter and began to read aloud:

_**Dear Mr. and Mrs. Henken,**_

_**We have never been introduced, but I am sure you have heard a great deal about my sister Hayate.**_

_**As Nanoha might have told you, the final of the Riot Force Dimensional Cuptakes place this Monday night, and my brother, Zafira, has just managed to get prime tickets through his connections at the Interdimensional Sport Federation.**_

_**I do hope you will allow us to take Nanoha to the match as this really is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity; Earth will be the first Non-Administrated World to host the Cup, and tickets are extremely hard to come by. We would of course be glad to have Nanoha stay for the remainder of the holidays, and to see her safely onto the flight back to school.**_

_**It would be best for Nanoha to send us your answer as quickly as possible in the normal way, because the Machlos mailman has never delivered to our house, and I am certain that he wouldn't know how to deliver it to Mid-Childa.**_

_**Hoping to see Nanoha soon,**_

_**Yours sincerely,**_

_**Shamal Yagami**_

_**P.S. I do hope we've put enough stamps on.**_

Uncle Kenji finished reading, put his hand back into his breast pocket, and drew out something else.

"Look at this," he growled.

He held up the envelope in which Shamal's letter had come, and Nanoha had to fight down a laugh. Every bit of it was covered in stamps except for a square inch on the front, into which Shamal had squeezed the Henken's address in minute writing.

"She did put enough stamps on, then," said Nanoha, trying to sound as though Shamal's was a mistake anyone could make. Her uncle's eyes flashed.

"The mailman noticed," he said through gritted teeth. "Very interested to know where this letter came from, he was. That's why he rang the doorbell. Seemed to think it was _funny_."

Nanoha didn't say anything. Other people might not understand why Uncle Kenji was making a fuss about too many stamps, but Nanoha had lived with the Henkens too long not to know how touchy they were about anything even slightly out of the ordinary. Their worst fear was that someone would find out that they were connected (however distantly) with people like Shamal Yagami.

Uncle Kenji was still glaring at Nanoha, who tried to keep her expression neutral. If she didn't do or say anything stupid, she might just be in for the treat of a lifetime. She waited for Uncle Kenji to say something, but he merely continued to glare. Nanoha decided to break the silence.

"So – can I go then?" she asked.

A slight spasm crossed Uncle Kenji's large purple face. The mustache bristled. Nanoha thought she knew what was going on behind the mustache: a furious battle as two of Uncle Kenji's most fundamental instincts came into conflict. Allowing Nanoha to go would make Nanoha happy, something Uncle Kenji had struggled against for thirteen years. On the other hand, allowing Nanoha to disappear to the Yagami's for the rest of the holidays would get rid of her two weeks earlier than anyone could have hoped, and Uncle Kenji hated having Nanoha in the house. To give himself thinking time, it seemed, he looked down at Shamal's letter again.

"Who is this woman?" he said, staring at the signature with distaste.

"She's my friend Hayate-Chan's sister," said Nanoha. "She's really nice, and she's training to be a doctor."

Nanoha knew that mentioning this little fact would help with Shamal's image. Doctors, lawyers, and large business owners were always good in Uncle Kenji's opinion, but one look at the letter again and Uncle Kenji seemed to remember the abnormality of Shamal coming from a magical family.

"Riot Force," he muttered under his breath. "_Riot Force _– what is this ridiculousness."

"It's a sport," said Nanoha shortly. "Played while flying – "

"All right, all right!" said Uncle Kenji loudly. Nanoha saw, with some satisfaction, that her uncle looked vaguely panicky. Apparently his nerves couldn't stand the sound of the word "flying" in his living room. He took refuge in pursuing the letter again. Nanoha saw his lips form the words "send us your answer…in the normal way." He scowled. "What does she mean, 'the normal way'?"

"Normal for us," said Nanoha, and before her uncle could stop her, she added, "you know, Fay mail. That's what's normal for mages."

Uncle Kenji looked as outraged as if Nanoha had just uttered a disgusting swearword. Shaking with anger, he shot a nervous look through the window, as though expecting to see some of the neighbors with their ears pressed against the glass.

"How many times do I have to tell you not to mention that unnaturalness under my roof?" he hissed, his face now a rich plum color. "You stand there, in the clothes Kurima and I have put on your ungrateful back – "

"Only after Kenta's finished with them," said Nanoha coldly, and indeed, she was dressed in a sweatshirt so large for her that she had to roll back the sleeves five times so as to be able to use her hands, and which fell past the knees of her extremely baggy jeans.

"I will not be spoken to like that!" said Uncle Kenji, trembling with rage.

"But Nanoha wasn't going to stand for this. Gone were the days when she had been forced to take every single one of the Henken's stupid rules. She wasn't following Kenta's diet, and she wasn't going to let Uncle Kenji stop her from going to the Riot Force Dimensional Cup, not if she could help it. Nanoha took a deep, steadying breath and then said, "Okay, I can't see the Dimensional Cup. Can I go now, then? Only I've got a letter to Onee-chan I want to finish. You know – the murderer."

She had done it. She had said the magic words. Now she watched the purple recede blotchily from Uncle Kenji's face, making it look like badly mixed black currant ice cream.

"You're – you're writing to her, are you?" said Uncle Kenji, in a would-be calm voice – but Nanoha had seen the pupils of his tiny eyes contract with sudden fear.

"Well – yeah," said Nanoha, casually. "It's been a while since she heard from me, and, you know, if she doesn't, she might start thinking something's wrong."

She stopped there to enjoy the effect of these words. She could almost see the cogs working under Uncle Kenji's thick, dark, nearly parted hair. If he tried to stop Nanoha writing to Arf, Arf would think Nanoha was being mistreated. If he told Nanoha she couldn't go to the Riot Force Dimensional Cup, Nanoha would write and tell Arf, who would _know_ Nanoha was being mistreated. There was only one thing for Uncle Kenji to do. Nanoha could see the conclusion forming in her uncle's mind as though the great mustached face were transparent. Nanoha tried not to smile, to keep her own face as blank as possible. And then –

"Well, all right then. You can go to this blasted…this stupid…this Dimensional Cup thing. You write and tell these – these _Yagamis_ they're to pick you up, mind. I haven't got time to go dropping you off all over the planet. And you can spend the rest of the holidays there. And you can tell your – your sister…tell her…tell her you're going."

"Okay then," said Nanoha brightly.

She turned and walked toward the living room door, fighting the urge to jump into the air and whoop. She was going…she was going to the Yagami's, she was going to watch the Riot Force Dimensional Cup! Outside in the hall she nearly ran into Kenta, who had been lurking behind the door, clearly hoping to overhear Nanoha being told off. He looked shocked to see the broad grin on Nanoha's face.

"That was an _excellent_ breakfast, wasn't it?" said Nanoha. "I feel really full, don't you?"

Laughing at the astonished look on Kenta's face, Nanoha took the stairs three at a time.

"**Saint King, that was horrible!**" Raising Heart shouted suddenly. She had been so quiet that Nanoha had almost forgotten she was wearing her Intelligent Device. "**I hate having to turn my volume down every time one of those Machlos walks into the room. Do you know how hard it is not to crack a joke about that big ball of fat or that monster mustache? I swear, I'm starting to crack up.**"

"It's already bad enough that they give me a hard time," said Nanoha. "I don't need you making things worse because you have to run your mouth off."

"**What are they gonna do, ground you?**" said Raising Heart. "**And even if they do, so what? You just pull out the big sister card and they'd give you the deed to the house if you wanted it.**"

"That not the point," said Nanoha, stepping into her bedroom.

The first thing she saw was that Lucy was back. She was sitting in her cage, staring at Nanoha with her enormous amber eyes, and chirping in the way that meant she was annoyed about something. Exactly what was annoying her became apparent almost at once.

"OUCH!" said Nanoha as what appeared to be a small, white and blue baseball collided with the side of her head. Nanoha massaged the spot furiously, looking up to see what had hit her, and saw a miniaturized version of Squid Girl, small enough to fit into the palm of her hand, whizzing excitedly around the room like a loose firework. Nanoha then realized that the mini-squid had dropped a letter at her feet. Nanoha bent down, recognized Hayate's handwriting, then tore open the envelope. Inside was a hastily scribbled note.

_**Nanoha-chan – ZAFIRA GOT THE TICKETS – Radiant Garden vs. Vaizen, Monday night. Shamal's writing to the Machlos to ask you to stay. They might already have the letter; I don't know how fast Machlos mail is. Thought I'd send Squiddy anyway.**_

"**Squiddy, how original,**" said Raising Heart sarcastically.

"Oh hush, you," said Nanoha. "I think it happens to be cute."

"**Didn't that weird girl from the Lemon Beach House call Squid Girl Squiddy?**" asked Raising Heart. "**Guess strange minds think alike.**"

Nanoha chose not to comment on how true that statement was and went back to the letter:

_**We're coming for you whether the Machlos like it or not, you can't miss the Dimensional Cup, only Shamal and Zafira think it's better if we pretend to ask their permission first. If they say yes, send Squiddy back with your answer pronto, and we'll come and get you at five o'clock on Sunday. If they say no, send Squiddy back pronto and we'll come and get you at five o'clock on Sunday anyway.**_

_**Tea and Su-Chan's arriving this afternoon. Signum's started work – She's working under Zafira in the Wolkenritter. She currently assigned to be someone's bodyguard in the Department of Interdimensional Relations. Don't mention anything about Abroad while you're here unless you want the pants bored off you.**_

_**See you soon – **_

_**Hayate**_

"Calm down!" Nanoha said as the mini-squid flew low over her head, squeaking madly with what Nanoha could only assume was pride at having delivered the letter to the right person. "Come here, I need you to take my answer back!"

The mini-squid fluttered down on top of Lucy's cage. Lucy looked coldly up at it, as though daring it to try and come closer. Nanoha seized her pen once more, grabbed a fresh sheet of paper, and wrote:

_**Hayate-chan, it's all okay, the Machlos say I can come. See you five o'clock tomorrow. Can't wait.**_

_**Nanoha**_

She folded this note up very small, and with immense difficulty, tied it with one of the mini-squid's tentacles as it hopped on the spot with excitement. The moment the note was secure, the mini-squid was off again; it smacked against the window until Nanoha opened it and flew out of sight.

"**I can't help worrying about that one,**" said Raising Heart.

"Feeling up to a long journey," Nanoha asked Lucy. Lucy chirped in a dignified sort of way. "Can you take this to Onee-chan for me?" She picked up her letter. "Hang on…I just want to finish it."

She unfolded the paper and hastily added a postscript.

_**If you want to contact me, I'll be at Hayate-chan's for the rest of the holiday. Her brother's got us tickets for the Riot Force Dimensional Cup! If you're going with Fate-chan and her family, then I'll see you there.**_

The letter finished, she handed it to Lucy; she took the letter was a salute, as though determined to show her how a real Fay should behave.

"I'll be at Hayate-chan's when you get back, all right?" Nanoha told her.

Lucy chirped affectionately, then, with a soft swooshing noise, spread her pixielike wings and soared out of the open window. Nanoha watched her fly out of sight, then crawled under her bed, wrenched up the loose floorboard, and pulled out a large chunk of birthday cake. She sat there on the floor eating it, savoring the happiness that was flooding through her. She had cake, and Kenta had nothing but grapefruit; it was a bright spring day, she would be leaving Erica Road tomorrow, her scar felt perfectly normal again, and she was going to watch the Riot Force World Cup. It was hard, just now, to feel worried about anything – even Stern the Destructor.

* * *

**The ball is finally starting to roll, but nothing exciting yet unless you count Nanoha's mad negotiation skills. In the next chapter, the return of the famous Yagami family as they accidentally break into the Henken house and Rein and Agito leave a little surprise for Kenta. But it will be Hayate who brings the greatest news when she and Nanoha meet again. Will the Yagami family leave a good impression on the Henkens? Will Rein and Agito get away with their latest scheme? Will I give in to Raising Heart's demands for more lines? Find out next time on the Grand – Magic – Games!**

* * *

**~Nanoha's Corner~**

**1: Happy Birthday**

It was March 15th and, not for the first time, the Henkens had completely ignored the fact that it was Nanoha's birthday. Nanoha was far too used to this to care – they had never celebrated a single one of Nanoha's birthdays in thirteen years. The only thing that kept her from being completely depressed was knowing that she would be receiving well wishes from her best friends later in the day.

Nanoha took her seat at the take for breakfast – a piece of celery – while Uncle Kenji busied himself with the morning paper and Kenta practically inhaled his and Nanoha's portions while his parents weren't looking. Uncle Kenji put aside the paper with his usual look of contempt and turned to Nanoha; his scowl much more intense.

"Girl, after breakfast, I want you to clean out the garage," said Uncle Kenji.

"Yes, Uncle Kenji," said Nanoha blankly.

"And then repaint the house."

"Yes, Uncle Kenji."

"And make sure to feed the dog."

"Yes, Uncle – wait, when did we get a dog?" asked Nanoha.

Uncle Kenji opened his mouth, likely to yell at her for being stupid, then closed it when he realized that they never had a dog; Aunt Kurima had a firm distaste for them. And yet when the Henkens turned to the corner of the room, they saw the most adorable little puppy with red fur wagging her tail, panting happily. The red fur, white main, and perfect blue eyes – Nanoha only knew one person who could match that description to a T and couldn't stop herself from smiling.

"Onee-chan!" yelled Nanoha.

"Ta-da!" Arf shouted jubilantly, appearing in place of the puppy with a small _**pop**_**. **She looked much cleaner and healthier than Nanoha had seen her last, carrying five white boxes in her arms that, judging from the smell, must have been birthday cakes. "Happy Birthday, Nanoha! You're Onee-chan is here to brighten up your day!"

Nanoha had never been so happy to have family to celebrate her birthday. The only thing that could have made this day better was watching Aunt Kurima faint backward on her nice clean floor and Uncle Kenji's red face turn milk white, stuttering incoherently. Kenta, clenching his bottom, made a mad dash to the back door and, for some reason, tried to fit himself through the doggy door Arf had made for herself.

This was definitely the best birthday ever.


	4. Return to the Yagami Orphanage

**Nanoha and the Grand Magic Games**

**Harry Potter © J.K. Rowling  
Nanoha and other franchises © designated creators**

* * *

**Chapter Four: Return to the Yagami Orphanage**

By twelve o'clock the next day, Nanoha's luggage was packed with her school things and all her most prized possessions – the Black Coat she inherited from her father, the album with all her family photos she had gotten from Schach, and the enchanted map of St. Hilde she had been given by Agito and Rein last year. She had emptied her hiding place under the loose floorboard of all food, double-checked every nook and cranny of her bedroom for forgotten spell books, and had taken down the chart on the wall counting down the days to April first, on which she liked to cross off the days remaining until her return to St. Hilde.

The atmosphere inside number nine, Erika Road was extremely tense. The immenant arrival at their house of an assortment of mages was making the Henkens uptight and irritable. Uncle Kenji had looked downright alarmed when Nanoha informed him that the Yagamis would be arriving at five o'clock the very next day.

"I hope you told them to dress properly, these people," he snarled at once. "I've seen the sort of stuff your kind wear. They'd better have the decency to put on normal clothes, that's all."

Nanoha felt a slight sense of foreboding. What people from Mid-Childa would consider common clothing did not match the Henkens definition of "normal". Nanoha had faith that Zafira was smart enough to know what was considered proper attire on Earth, but being a Non-Administrated world, their information might be a little outdated. Nanoha wasn't bothered about what the neighbors would think, but she was anxious about how rude the Henkens might be to the Yagamis if they turned up looking like their worst idea of mages.

Uncle Kenji had put on his best suit. To some people, this might have looked like a gesture of welcome, but Nanoha knew it was because Uncle Kenji wanted to look impressive and intimidating. Kenta, on the other hand, looked somehow diminished. This was not because the diet was at last taking effect, but due to fright. Kenta had barely scraped through his last encounter with a fully-grown mage with a giant hole in the wall only just inches away from his head. It wasn't altogether surprising; therefore, that Kenta kept running out of the room when Nanoha entered.

Lunch was an almost silent meal. Kenta didn't even protest at the food (cottage cheese and grated celery). Aunt Kurima wasn't eating anything at all. Her arms were folded, her lips were pursed, and she seemed to be chewing her tongue, as though biting back the furious diatribe she longed to throw at Nanoha.

"They'll be driving, of course?" Uncle Kenji barked across the table.

"Er," said Nanoha.

She hadn't thought of that. How _were _the Yagamis going to pick her up? Agito and Rein weren't about to steal the Batmobile again; Batman had increased the cave security to be locked up tighter than Fort Knox. But Zafira had borrowed a Time-Space Administration Bureau transport last year; possibly he would do the same today?

"I think so," said Nanoha.

Uncle Kenji snorted into his mustache. Normally, Uncle Kenji would have asked what car Zafira drove; he tended to judge other men by how big and expensive their cars were. But Nanoha doubted whether Uncle Kenji would have taken to Zafira even if he drove a Ferrari. Nanoha spent most of the afternoon in her bedroom; she couldn't stand watching Aunt Kurima peer out through the net curtains every few seconds, as though there had been a warning about an escaped rhinoceros. Finally, a quarter to five, Nanoha went back downstairs and into the living room.

Aunt Kurima was compulsively straightening cushions. Uncle Kenji was pretending to read the newspaper, but his tiny eyes were not moving, and Nanoha was sure he was really listening with all his might for the sound of an approaching car. Kenta was crammed into an armchair, trying to make himself seem smaller than he really was. Nanoha couldn't take the tension; she left the room and went and sat on the stairs in the hall, her eyes on her watch and her heart pumping fast with excitement and nerves.

But five o'clock came and went. Uncle Kenji, perspiring slightly in his suit, opened the front door, peered up and down the street, then withdrew his head quickly.

"They're late!" he snarled at Nanoha.

"I know," said Nanoha. "Maybe – er – the traffic's bad, or something."

Ten past five…then a quarter past five…Nanoha was starting to feel anxious herself now. At half past, she heard Uncle Kenji and Aunt Kurima conversing in terse mutters in the living room.

"No consideration at all."

"We might have had an engagement."

"Maybe they think they'll get invited to dinner if they're late."

"Well, they most certainly won't be," said Uncle Kenji, and Nanoha heard him stand up and start pacing the living room. "They'll take the girl and go, there'll be no hanging around. That's if they're coming at all. Probably mistaken the day. I daresay _their kind _doesn't set much store by punctuality. Either that or they drive some tin-pot car that's broke d – AAAAAAAARRRRRGH!"

Nanoha jumped up. From the other side of the living room door came the sounds of the three Henkens scrambling, panic-striken, across the room. Next moment Kenta came flying into the hall, looking terrified.

"What happened?" said Nanoha. "What's the matter?"

But Kent didn't seem able to speak. He waddled as fast as he could into the kitchen. Nanoha hurried into the living room. Loud banging and scrapings were coming from behind the Henken's boarded-up fireplace, which had a fake coal fire plugged in front of it.

"What is it?" gasped Aunt Kurima, who had backed into the wall and was staring, terrified, toward the fire. "What is it, Kenji?"

But they were left in doubt barely a second longer. Voices could be heard from inside the blocked fireplace.

"Ouch! Agito, no – go back, go back, there's been some kind of mistake in the transfer – tell Rein not to – OUCH! Rein, no, there's no room, go back quietly and tell Hayate – "

"Maybe Nanoha can hear us, Zafira – maybe he'll be able to let us out – " There was a loud hammering of fists on the boards behind the electric fire. "Nanoha? Nanoha, can you hear us?"

"What is this?" growled Uncle Kenji, rounding to Nanoha. "What's going on.

"They – they messed up the Dimensional Transfer sequence," said Nanoha, fighting a mad desire to laugh. "They can travel between dimensions – only they miscalculated and ended up in the fireplace – hang on – " She approached the fireplace and called through the boards. "Zafira-san? Can you hear me? Zafira-san, it's Nanoha…you're in the fireplace. It's been blocked up, so you won't be able to get through there."

"Damn!" said Zafira's voice. "Should have used a lower formula in the point algorithm. Well, nothing we can do about it now. But by would they want to block the fireplace in the first place – ouch, Hayate!"

Hayate Yagami's voice now joined the others.

"What are we doing here? Has something gone wrong?"

"Oh no, Hayate," said Agito's voice, very sarcastically. "No, this is exactly where we wanted to end up."

"Yeah, we're having the time of our lives here," said Rein, whose voice sounded muffled, as though she was squashed against the wall.

"Girls, girls…" said Zafira vaguely. "I'm trying to think what to do…yes…only way…stand back, Nanoha."

Nanoha retreated to the sofa. Uncle Kenji, however, moved forward.

Wait a moment!" he bellowed at the fire. "What exactly are you going to – "

**BANG!**

The electric fire shot across the room as the boarded-up fireplace burst outward, expelling Zafira, Agito, Rein, and Hayate in a cloud of rubble and loose chippings. Aunt Kurima shrieked and fell backward over the coffee table; Uncle Kenji caught her before she hit the floor, and gaped, speechless, at the Yagami. Tall, tan, and muscular Zafira Yagami with his mess of white hair that almost looked like dog ears was head of the Yagami household. The twins, Agito and Rein, were different in every way except for their love of creating mischief. Then there was one of Nanoha's best friends, the crafty and openly perverted Hayate Yagami. She was brushing her smooth brown hair free of dust as she stood up…wait a minute…

"Hayate-chan," said Nanoha softly, her eyes wide as dinner plates. "Hayate-chan, you're standing! You have legs!"

"Oh my Saint King, you're right?" Hayate gasped in pretend shock. "All this time, I thought I was just floating everywhere!"

"You know what I mean!" said Nanoha happily. She ran over and embraced Hayate, jumping up and down with excitement. "I can't believe it! You're all better again! I'm so happy for you!"

"You can thank Shamal for that," said Hayate as they pulled away. "Three years of medical treatment and physical therapy really helped."

"Well, I'm glad you two are having a good time," panted Zafira, brushing dust from his Barrier Jacket. "Ah – you must be Nanoha's aunt and uncle."

Zafira, through sweet and good-natured, did look rather intimidating as he moved toward Uncle Kenji with his hand outstretched, so it wasn't surprising when Uncle Kenji backed away several paces, dragging Aunt Kurima. Words utterly failed Uncle Kenji. His best suit was covered in white dust, which had settled in his hair and mustache and made him look as though he had just aged thirty years.

"Er – yes – sorry about that," said Zafira, lowering his hand and looking over his shoulder at the blasted fireplace. "It's all my fault. It just didn't occur to me that I might have miscalculated the destination and breaching point. I had your living room connected through the Dimensional Transference Network, you see – just for an afternoon, you know, so we could get Nanoha. Non-Administrated homes aren't supposed to be connected, strictly speaking – but I've got a useful connection at the Transference Station and he fixed it for me. I can put it back in a minute, though, don't worry. I'll send the girls back, and then I can repair your fireplace before I use the Corridors."

Nanoha was ready to bet that the Henkens hadn't understood a single word of this. They were still gaping at Zafira, thunderstruck. Aunt Kurima staggered upright again and hid behind Uncle Kenji.

"Hello, Nanoha!" said Zafira brightly. "Got your luggage ready?"

"It's upstairs," said Nanoha, grinning back.

"We'll get it," said Agito at once. Winking at Nanoha, she and Rein left the room. They knew where Nanoha's bedroom was, having once rescued her from it in the dead of night. Nanoha suspected that Agito and Rein were hoping for a glimpse of Kenta; they had heard a lot about him from Nanoha.

"Well," said Zafira, swining his arms slightly, while he tried to find words to break the very nasty silence. "Very – erm – very nice place you've got here."

As the usually spotless living room was now covered in dust and bits of brick, this remark didn't go down too well with the Henkens. Uncle Kenji's face purpled once more, and Aunt Kurima started chewing her tongue again. However, they seemed too scared to actually say anything. Uncle Kenji moved ever so slightly to the right, screening Aunt Kurima from view, as though he thought Zafira might suddenly run at them and attack.

Kenta suddenly reappeared in the room. Nanoha could hear the clunks of her suitcases on the stairs, and knew that the sounds had scared Kenta out of the kitchen. Kenta edged along the wall, gazing at Zafira with terrified eyes, and attempted to conceal himself behind his mother and father. Unfortunately, Uncle Kenji's bulk, while sufficient to hide bony Aunt Kurima, was nowhere near enough to conceal Kenta.

"Ah, this is your cousin, is it, Nanoha?" said Zafira, taking another brave stab at making conversation.

"Yep," said Nanoha, "That's Kenta."

She and Hayate exchanged glances and then quickly looked away from each other; the temptation to burst out laughing was almost overwhelming. Kenta was still crouching behind his parents as if trying to making himself invisible. Zafira, however, seemed genuinely concerned at Kenta's peculiar behavior. Indeed, from the tone of his voice when he next spoke, Nanoha was quite sure that Zafira thought Kenta was quite as mad as the Henkens thought _he _was, except Zafira felt sympathy rather than fear.

Having a good holiday, Kenta?" he said kindly.

Kenta only whimpered. Agito and Rein came back into the room carrying Nanoha's suitcases. They glanced around as they entered and spotted Kenta. Their faces cracked into identical evil grins.

"Ah, right," said Zafira. "Better get moving then."

He walked back to the fireplace and pulled back his fist, which was starting to glow with White Mana. Nanoha saw the Henkens draw back against the wall as one. Zafira slammed his glowing fist on the spot and white Belkan triangle appeared in place where his knuckles touched the floor. Nanoha could hear Zafira muttered the long string of complicated coordinates under his breath; Hayate once told her that Zafira wasn't as proficient with Dimensional Spells as Shamal, who could perform them without muttering a word. Zafira pulled back from the fireplace as the magic triangle glowed eye-burning bright.

"All right, you first, Agito," said Zafira.

"Coming," said Agito. "Oh no – hang on – "

A bag of small trinkets spilled out of Agito's pockets and the contents were now rolling in every direction – small, brightly-colored toy tops. Agito scrambled around, cramming them back into her pocket then gave the Henkens a cheery wave, and stepped forward into the fireplace. Aunt Kurima gave a little shuddering gasp. There was a whooshing sound, and Agito vanished.

"Right then, Rein," said Zafira, "you and the bags."

Nanoha helped Rein carry the luggage forward into the light and piled them on top of each other so that they could fit better. Then, with a second whoosh, Rein had vanished too.

"Hayate, you next," said Zafira.

"See you," said Hayate brightly to the Henkens. She grinned broadly at Nanoha, then stepped into the light and disappeared. Now Nanoha and Zafira alone remained.

"Well…bye then," Nanoha said to the Henkens.

They didn't say anything at all. Nanoha moved toward the light, but just as she reached the edge of the hearth, Zafira put out a hand and held her back. He was looking at the Henkens in amazement.

Nanoha said good-bye to you," he said. "Didn't you hear her?"

"It doesn't matter," Nanoha muttered to Zafira. "Honestly, I don't care."

"You aren't going to see your niece till next year," Zafira said to Uncle Kenji in mild indignation. "Surely you're going to say good-bye?"

Uncle Kenji's face worked furiously. The idea of being taught consideration by a man who had just blasted away half his living room wall seemed to be causing him intense suffering. But as Zafira was tall and could crush Uncle Kenji's skull with just a finger, he said to Nanoha, very resentfully, "Good-bye, then."

"See you," said Nanoha, putting one foot forward into the white light, which felt presently warm. At that moment, however, a furiously blowing sound erupted behind her, and Aunt Kurima started to scream.

Nanoha wheeled around. Kenta was no longer standing behind his parents. He had been lifted off the ground and was spinning around inside a stormy, gray miniature tornado that had somehow popped inside the Henken's living room. Nanoha ducked as the Henken's coffee table blew over her head and smashed into the wall. As her gaze fell to the foot of the tornado, she spotted one of Agito's bright toy tops spinning on the floor.

Aunt Kurima hurled herself forward, reached out her hands to grab Kenta's, and attempted to wrench her son from the tornado; unsurprisingly, Aunt Kurima was pulled off her feet and dragged inside as well. Uncle Kenji was bellowing and waving his arms around, and Zafira had to shout to make himself heard.

"Not to worry, I can sort everything out!" he yelled, advancing on the tornado with his glowing hand outstretched. Uncle Kenji yelled worse than ever and jumped forward to cut him off. "No, really! It's a simple process – it's the top – my sister Agito – a real practical joker – but it's only a Windstorm Spell – at least, I think it is – please, I can fix this – "

But far from being reassured, the Henkens became more panic-stricken; Kenta and Aunt Kurima were screaming louder than ever as the tornado seemed to be picking up speed, pulling all the furniture inwards towards itself; and Uncle Kenji, who had lost control completely, seized a china figure that had been floating above his head and threw it very hard at Zafira, who sidestepped as the ornament was caught in the tornado's currents and smashed into the blasted fireplace.

"Now really!" said Zafira angrily. "I'm trying to _help_!" Bellowing like a wounded hippo, Uncle Kenji snatched up another ornament. "Nanoha, go! Just go! I'll sort this out!"

Nanoha didn't want to miss the fun, but Uncle Kenji's second ornament narrowly missed her left ear, and on balance she thought it best to leave the situation to Zafira. She stepped into the light, looking over her shoulder. Her last fleeting glimpse of the living room was of Zafira slapping a third ornament out of Uncle Keni's hand, and Aunt Kurima and Kenta being hurtled out of the tornado and through the window into the front lawn. But the next moment Nanoha's vision had been drowned in a sea of white.

* * *

**For the first time in many years, something interesting has happened at number nine, Erika Road. Thank you, Agito. And the best news of all is Hayate Yagami is back to full health – now she can commit even more perverted stunts than ever before! In the next chapter, Subaru and Teana come back, Agito and Rein are going into business, and Signum has a special secret. Will the Henkens kill Nanoha when she comes back from the holidays? How much will it cost to fix the damages? And where can I get one of those cool tops? You won't find out the answers to these questions on the next thrilling episode of the Grand – Magic – Games!**

* * *

**~Nanoha's Corner~**

**1: Exploring**

Agito and Rein had burst into Nanoha's room, just as plain and boring as they remembered it since the time they stole the Batmobile and busted Nanoha out of prison. Guess it was one of the consequences of living with such boring Machlos. They crossed the small room and found Nanoha's suitcases waiting for her at the foot of her bed. Rein reached out to grab one of the handles, but Agito suddenly grabbed her by the wrist.

"Hold on a minute, my dear sister," said Agito. "We have been presented with a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Think about it: all of Nanoha's worldly possessions are in these bags. This might be a good chance to get to know a little more about our fiendish little White Devil."

"My dear sister, you are an evil genius," said Rein.

Agito stuck her head out into the hallway to make sure that no one was listening and silently closed the door behind her. Rein immediately unzipped the luggage and started dumping all of Nanoha's things onto the bed. The first things they discovered were to be expected: the Black Coat they knew Nanoha had since they found Hayate to spill the beans, her photo album which contained pictures of her dearly departed family, and the Adventurer's Atlas they had given her last year. But after pilfering through most of Nanoha's things, they finally found something worthwhile.

"Oh – my –Saint King," said Agito. She held up in plain view a very, very small and very frilly pair of black panties. "I can't believe our little Nanoha would wear something so racy."

"Uh…Agito…I don't think she's the one wearing them," said Rein.

Rein was holding a small photograph she had found in one of Nanoha's pants pockets and was staring hard with her wide as dinner plates. Agito looked over her sister's shoulders and quickly pinched her nose to prevent the imminent nosebleed. It was a picture of Fate Testarossa wearing **ONLY **the very small panties with her arms crossed over her chest, her wet hair glimmering in the light, staring shyly at the camera. Rein flipped the photo around and found a little message.

**I guess our meeting was just Fate,**

**Happy birthday, Nanoha-Chan!**

**Your best friend in the whole world,**

**Hayate**

"I think our little sister has gone a little far this time," said Rein.

"I believe you are right, my dear sister," said Agito.

They didn't know how long it had been since they had disappeared and were worried that Nanoha and Zafira would start to get suspicious. Rein quickly packed everything back in its original place, put the racy picture of Fate into Nanoha's Barrier Jacket pocket, and zipped the luggage back up. She never noticed Agito secretly slipping the small panties into her back pocket.


	5. Yagami Mechanics

**Nanoha and the Grand Magic Games**

**Harry Potter © J.K. Rowling  
Nanoha and other franchises © designated creators**

* * *

**Chapter Five: Yagami Mechanics**

Nanoha was drenched in an ocean of white Mana, elbows tucked tightly to her sides, blurred images flashing past her. Then, when at last she felt herself slowing down, she threw out her hands and came to a halt in time to prevent herself from falling face forward on the Yagami's kitchen floor.

"Did it work?" said Agito excitedly, holding out a hand to pull Nanoha to her feet.

"Yeah," said Nanoha, straightening up. "What _was_ it?"

"Twister Tops," said Agito brightly. "Handy little things when you need to make a quick getaway or just want to throw a raging party. Rein and I invented them, and we've been looking for someone to test them on…"

The tiny kitchen exploded with laughter; Nanoha looked around and saw that Hayate and Rein were sitting at the scrubbed wooden table with Subaru Nakajima and Teana Lancaster, Nanona's friends and roommates at St. Hilde.

"How're you doing, Nanoha-san?" said Subaru, grinning at her and holding out her hand, which Nanoha shook, trying not to wince at her tight grip. Subaru is Nanoha's biggest admirer, even more than Sakura Haruno, but had the decency to see that Nanoha didn't like being the center of attention. Subaru had always been taller than Nanoha in the past, but during the holidays Nanoha had experienced a growth spurt and now was taller than Subaru. Nanoha was quick to notice that Subaru had a little more muscle than last year, which she would know having hijacked her body in the past.

Teana got to her feet, smiling, and also shook Nanoha's hand. Teana was one of the smartest girls in St. Hilde, second only to Fate Testarossa, which often led to a one-sided rivalry between the two. Teana also had an impressive growth over the holiday, but rather than gaining muscle like her best friend, Teana was thin and lithe as one would expect from a long-range type. As Nanoha looked her friend over, she realized that Teana had discarded her ribbons and let her hair flow down her shoulders. Nanoha thought she looked cute and so did Subaru based on her sloppy grin.

Before any of them could say anything else, a ripple of blackness exploded from the floor and disappeared just as quickly as it came, leaving Zafira standing at Rein's shoulder. He was looking angrier than Nanoha had ever seen him.

"That _wasn't funny_, Agito!" he shouted. "What on Mid-Childa did you give that Machlos boy?"

"I didn't give him anything," said Agito, with another evil grin. "I just _dropped _it. It was his fault he went and turned it on. I never told him to."

"You dropped it on purpose!" roared Zafira, lifting Agito off the floor by her collar. "You knew he'd be curious and turn it on without realizing – "

"How big did it get?" Rein asked eagerly.

"It turned into a tropical typhoon before they let me disable it!"

Nanoha, Subaru, Teana, and the Yagamis roared with laughter again.

It _isn't funny_!" Zafira shouted. "That sort of behavior seriously undermines Mage-Machlos relations! The TSAB has spent centuries trying to relieve the public of the mistreatment of Machlos, and now my own sisters – "

"We didn't give it to him because he's a Machlos!" said Agito.

"No, we gave it to him because he's a big bullying brat," said Rein. "Isn't he, Nanoha?"

"Yeah, he is, Zafira-san," said Nanoha.

"That's not the point!" raged Zafira. "You wait until I tell Shamal – "

"Tell me what?" said a voice behind them.

Shamal Yagami had just entered the kitchen. She was a beautiful blond woman with a very kind face, though her eyes were narrowed with suspicion.

"Oh hello, Nanoha dear," she said, spotting her and smiling. Then her eyes snapped back to her brother. "Tell me _what_, Zafira?"

Zafira hesitated. Nanoha could tell that, however angry he was with Agito and Rein, he hadn't really intended to tell Shamal what had happened. There was a silence, while Zafira eyed his sister nervously. Then the youngest of the Yagamis appeared in the kitchen doorway behind Shamal. Vita Yagami was embarrassingly short for her age with bright red hair in stiff pigtails and her sharp eyes narrowed at Nanoha, who looked away. Ever since their first meeting, Vita had been trying to prove that she was better than the famous Nanoha Takamachi – whether out of pride or jealousy Nanoha didn't know.

"Tell me _what_, Zafira?" Shamal repeated, in a dangerous sort of voice.

"It's nothing, Shamal," mumbled Zafira," Agito and Rein just – but I've had words with them – "

"What have they done this time?" said Shamal. "If it's got anything to do with Yagami Mechanics – "

"Why don't you show Nanoha where she's sleeping, Hayate-san?" said Teana.

"She knows where she's sleeping," said Hayate, "in my room, she slept there last – "

"We can all go," said Teana pointedly.

"Oh," said Hayate, catching on. "Right."

"Yeah, we'll come too," said Rein.

"_You stay where you are!_" snarled Shamal.

Nanoha, Hayate, Teana, and Subaru edged out of the kitchen, and they and Via set off along the narrow hallway.

"**What is Yagami Mechanics?**" Raising Heart asked. "**If it's cheap I might get some new oil**."

"But you don't use oil," said Nanoha.

"**I know, but I can think of a few good reasons to get some if you know what I mean, Master**," said Raising Heart.

"Shamal found a stack of order forms when she was cleaning Agito and Rein's room," said Hayate quietly. "A long price list for stuff they've invented. Not jokes stuff, but real inventions. Like those Twister Tops, anti-gravity gear, loads of stuff. It was brilliant, I never knew they'd been inventing all that…"

"We've been hearing explosions out of their room for ages, but we never thought they were actually _making _things," said Vita. "We thought they just liked the noise."

"Only, most of the stuff – well, all of it, really – was a bit dangerous ," said Hayate, "and, you know, they were planning to sell it at St. Hilde to make some credits, and Shamal went mad at them. Mind you, she wasn't angry at them for inventing all that stuff – she was actually proud. But when Agito and Rein got their S.T.A.R.s back from last year, she was absolutely furious. Says that they aren't applying themselves as much as they should."

"And then there was this big fight," Vita said, "because Shamal said they were smarter than that and that they didn't have any motivation for anything other than causing trouble. They didn't make it any better when they said they wanted to open a shop for their inventions."

Just then a door on their right opened, and a face poked out with her hot-pink hair tied into a high ponytail and a very annoyed expression.

"Hi, Signum," said Nanoha.

"Oh hello, Nanoha," said Signum. "I was wondering who was making all the noise. I'm trying to work in here, you know – I've got a report to finish for the office – and it's rather difficult to concentrate when keep thundering up and down the hall."

"We're not _thundering_," said Hayate irritably. "We're walking. Sorry if we've disturbed the top-secret workings of the Time-Space Administration Bureau."

"What are you working on?" said Subaru.

"A report on the woman I'm serving as bodyguard for the Department of Interdimensional Relationships," said Signum smugly. "She is trying to standardize the proper amount of hydraulic sulfide in a Shrinking Solution – improper use of chemicals has been increasing at a rate of almost three percent a year – "

"**That sounds **_**really **_**riveting**_**,**_" said Raising Heart. "**I bet it will make the front page of the Daily News.**"

"I don't need lip from a Device, especially since they don't have lips," Signum said heatedly. "I get that it might not sound like the most exciting career, but the system of interdimensional law is a vital process, especially in the concerns for the improper use of highly dangerous – "

"Yeah, yeah, all right," said Hayate, and she started off down the hall again. Signum slammed her door shut. As Nanoha, Teana, Subaru, and Vita followed Hayate, shouts from the kitchen echoed down the hall to them. It sounded as though Zafira had told Shamal about the Twister Tops.

The room at the end of the hall where Hayate slept looked much as it had the last time that Nanoha had come to stay: the same posters of Hayate's favorite Riot Force team, the Belkan Blazers, covered every inch of the walls, and the fish tank on the windowsill, which had previously held frog spawn, now contained one extremely large frog. Hayate's old ferret, Pabu, was here no more, but instead there was the tiny Mini-Squid that had delivered Hayate's letter to Nanoha in Erika Road. Squiddy had somehow managed to put a saddle on the frog and was riding it around the tank like a bucking bronco.

"Get along, little squid," said Hayate teasingly, edging her way between two of the four beds that had been squeezed into the room. "Tea and Su-Chan are in here with us. I'm just glad that Fate-Chan decided to go to the Cup with her own family, because I don't know how we would fit five people in here. Signum get to keep her room all to herself because she's got to _work_ and Vita refused to share her room."

"Of course I'm not sharing my room with you four," said Vita. "You'd mess with my stuff!"

"**Don't worry, no one's gonna touch your bunny collection**," said Raising Heart.

"Wha – I – I mean – I have no idea what you're talking about!" shouted Vita, red in the face.

"Aw, that's so cute," said Subaru, petting Vita's head.

"So Signum's enjoying work, then?" said Nanoha, sitting down on one of the beds and staring up at one of the Belkan Blazer posters.

"Enjoying it?" said Hayate darkly. "I don't think she'd come home if Zafira wasn't her boss. She's obsessed. Just don't get her onto the subject of the one she's assigned to guard. _According to Crowbel-Sama…as I was saying to Crowbel-Sama…Crowbel-Sama is of the opinion…Crowbel-Sama was telling me. _They'll be announcing their engagement any day now."

"Wait, wasn't Crowbel the name of the Headmistress before Carim-Sama?" asked Nanoha.

"That's right," said Teana, "and she's one of the Three Admirals on the High Councils. Well, actually, it's just two now. After that whole Red-Paw debacle, Admiral Phils was forced to retire from his position. I'd almost feel bad for the guy is he hadn't tried to crucify Arf to save his own skin."

"Have you had a good holiday, Nanoha-san?" said Subaru. "Natsu didn't burn the food packages we sent you, did he?"

"No, everything was fine," said Nanoha. "They really saved my life, those cakes."

"And have you heard anything from Yuuno-Kun or Harribel-Sensei?"

Tier Harribel was Nanoha's previous Tactical Combat Instructor and one of her favorite teachers of all time and Yuuno used to work in the Infinity Library. At least that was what everyone was led to believe. No one had realized for twelve years that Yuuno had been replaced by the shapeshifter Due, one of Stern the Destructor's followers. No one except Arf, who had been framed for Due's crime to cover her tracks. Both of them were old friends of her father and Arf's Godparents.

"Not a word," said Nanoha. "Even Onee-chan doesn't know what they're doing? I hope Harribel-Sensei is doing better."

"Being an Arrancar can be difficult," said Teana. "Hey, it sounds like they're done screaming at each other. Shall we go and help Shamal with dinner?"

"Yeah, all right," said Hayate. the four of them left Hayate's room and went back down the hall to find Shamal alone in the kitchen, looking extremely bad-tempered.

"We're eating out in the garden," she said when they came in. "There's just not enough room for ten people in here. could you take the plates outside, Vita? Agito and Rein are setting up the tables. Knives and forks, please, Hayate,"

"Uh…maybe it's better for everyone's health is I do the cooking," said Hayate.

"Nonsense," said Shamal, taking a basket of potatoes from under the faucet. "I've got everything under – " Just then, one of the potatoes fell out of the basket and Shamal stepped on it, causing her to lose her footing. Nanoha and the others quickly ducked under the table as they were bombarded in a hailstorm of spuds.

"So…about dinner…" said Hayate slowly.

"Fine, fine, you take over," said Shamal, admitting her defeat. While Hayate went to work with some of the potatoes that hadn't fallen out, Shamal grabbed a broom and dustpan from the closet, scooping up the mess. "Honestly, those two! I don't know what's going to happen to them, I really don't. No ambition, unless you count making as much trouble as they possibly can.

It's not as though they haven't got brains, but they're wasting them, and unless they pull themselves together soon, they'll be in real trouble. I've had more letters from St. Hilde about them than the rest put together. If they carry on the way they're going, they'll end up in front of the Disciplinary Court."

"You're exaggerating, Shamal," said Hayate as she began to chopping several vegetables at once with the skill of a professional chef. Now that she was in the kitchen, Hayate didn't seem as scared of Shamal as she usually is. "They might cause trouble every once in a while, but they're not that bad. A lot of people think they're funny."

"I just don't know where we went wrong with them," said Shamal, shoving the broom and dustpan back into the closet. "It's been the same for year, one thing after another, and they won't listen. My only hope for you and Vita is that people like Nanoha, Fate, and Teana will be a good influence on you two."

"Hey!" Subaru whined.

"I think it would be a good idea to get out of here," Teana said hurriedly to Nanoha, seizing her and Subaru by the arm, "let's go and help Agito and Rein."

They left Shamal and Hayate in the kitchen and headed out the back door into the yard. They had only gone a few paces when Squiddy came pelting out of the garden being chased by what looked like a muddy potato on legs. Nanoha recognized it instantly as a gremlin. Barely ten inches high, its horny little feet pattered very fast as it sprinted across the yard. Squiddy climbed the laces of one of the old boots that lay scattered across around the door and dived headlong into it. Nanoha could hear Squiddy giggling madly as the gremlin inserted a hand into the boot, trying to reach her. Meanwhile, a very loud crashing noise was coming from the other side of the house. The source of the commotion was revealed as they entered the garden, and saw that Agito and Rein were riding two battered old tables high above the law, swinging long branches, each attempting to knock the other out of the air.

Vita was sitting on the fence, laughing as Agito and Rein repeatedly slapped each other with foliage. Agito had managed to crash her table it Rein's with a huge bang and knocked one of its legs off. There was a clatter from their left, and they all looked over to see Signum's head poking out of the window.

"Will you keep it down?" she bellowed.

"Sorry, Siggy," said Agito, grinning. "How're the chemical reports coming along?"

"Very badly," said Signum peevishly, and she slammed the window shut. Chuckling, Agito and Rein directed the tables safely onto the grass, end to end, and then Rein reattached the table leg with a tube of reddish-green glue.

By seven o'clock, the two tables were groaning under dishes and dishes of Hayate's excellent cooking, and the seven Yagamis, Nanoha, Teana, and Subaru were settling themselves down to eat beneath a clear, deep-blue sky. To somebody who had been living on meals of increasingly stale cakes all holiday, this was paradise, and at first, Nanoha listened rather than talked as she helped herself to smoked ham, mashed potatoes, and salad. At the far end of the table, Signum was telling Zafira all about her report on Crowbel.

"I'll have my report of Crowbel-Sama's activities ready by Tuesday," Signum was saying pompously. "I know that's a bit sooner than you were expecting, but I like to keep on top of things. Corwbel-Sama will be very pleased that I will have more time to assist her since her department is extremely busy, what with all the arrangements for the Interdimensional Cup. She's just not getting getting ths upport she needs from the Interdimensional Sports Federation. Setzer Gabbiani – "

"I like Setzer," said Zafira mildly. "He was the one who got us such good tickets for the Cup. I did him a bit of a favor: He got in a spot of trouble with a man named Kefka – a deranged-looking clown if I ever saw one – and I smoothed the whole thing over."

"Oh Gabbiani is _likable _enough, of course," said Signum dismissively, "but how he ever got to be Head of Department…when I compare him to Crowbel-Sama! I can't see Crowbel-Sama losing a member of her department and not trying to find out what's happened to them. You realize Eliza Falkner have been missing for over a month now? Went on holiday to Gran Pulse and never came back?"

"Yes, I was asking Sezter about that," said Zafira, frowning. "He says Eliza's gotten lost plenty of times before now – though I must say, if it was someone in my department, I'd be worried…"

"Oh Eliza's _hopeless_, all right," said Signum. "I hear she's been shunted from department to department for years, much more trouble than she's worth…but all the same, Gabbiani ought to be trying to find her. Crowbel-Sama has been taking a personal interest, she worked in her department at one time, you know, and I think Crowbel-Sama was quite fond of her – but Gabbiani just keeps laughing and saying she probably misread the map and ended up in Grand Cross instead of Gran Pulse" – Signum heaved an impressive sigh and took a deep swig of wine – "we've got quite enough on our plates without trying to find members of other departments, especially since we're going to be working security detail at St. Hilde."

"I thought the Shinigami were in charge of security at St. Hilde," said Hayate, who had been sitting next to Signum.

"They are normally," said Zafira. "But our department has a special interest in St. Hilde this year. Can't say too much – don't want to spoil the surprise for your and the others."

In the middle of the table, Shamal was talking with Teana, who was brushing her fingers through her long, orange hair.

"…let your hair grow out real nicely. It makes you look like a mature young woman, Teana."

"Since I'm fourteen now, I thought it might be a good chance to change my image. Although I think Nanoha looks better – her side tail is kinda interesting."

"Well, you both are beautiful women," said Shamal, sounding like a proud mother. "You're going to need someone from the Wolkenritter to keep all the boys away."

"Or the girls," said Vita, shooting a sideways glance at Subaru.

Next to Shamal, Agito, Rein, and Subaru were all talking spiritedly about the Interdimensional Cup.

"It's got to be Radiant Garden," said Subaru thickly, through a mouthful of mashed potatoes. "They flattened the Seireitei in the semifinals."

"Viazen has Alicia Testarossa, through," said Agito.

"Alicia Testarossa," said Nanoha eagerly, regretting more than ever her isolation from the magical world when she was stuck on Erica Road. "That wouldn't happen to be Fate-Chan's older sister, would it?

"The same one," said Rein. "The Testarossas are the most famous family in Mid-Childa. A leading researcher for the TSAB Research and Development Department, an Admiral for the Dimensional Navy, a Deputy Enforcer, a Brave Duel Prodigy, and an Interdimensional Riot Force player."

"Alicia-can is a great player," said Subaru shortly. "But Radiant Garden has seven equally amazing players. I wish Mid-Childa had got through. That was match was a complete embarrassment."

"**What happened?**" said Raising Heart.

"Went down to Anur Transyl, three hundred and ninety to ten," said Subaru gloomily. "Shocking performance. "And Oa lost to Apokolips, and Asgard was slaughtered by Titan."

Nanoha had been on the Kaiser Houe Riot Force team ever since her first year at St. Hilde and owned one of the most advanced systems in the galaxy, an Accelerated Charge System. Flying came more naturally to Nanoha than anything else in the magical world, and she played in the position of the Ace on the Kaiser House team, which had earned her the nickname Ace of Aces.

Zafira lit some candles to light the darkening garden before they had their homemade strawberry ice cream, and by the time they had finished, moths were fluttering low over the table and the warm air was perfumed with the smells of grass and honeysuckle. Nanoha was feeling extremely well fed and at pace with the world as she watched several gremlins running in terror being closely pursued by a cackling Squiddy riding the lawnmower.

"Look at the time," Shamal said suddenly, checking her wristwatch. "You really should be in bed, the whole lot of you – you'll be up at the crack of dawn to get to the Cup. Nanoha, if you leave your school list out, I'll get your things for you tomorrow in Cranagan. And maybe I'll stop by Erza's to get you a new Barrier Jacket – I think you're starting to grow out of your old one. I'm getting everyone else's. there might not be time after the Interdimensional Cup; the match went on for five days last time."

"Wow – hope it does this time!" said Nanoha enthusiastically.

"Well, I certainly don't," said Signum sanctimoniously. "I _shudder _to think what the state of my in-tray would be if I was away from work five days."

"Yeah, someone might slip dragon dung in it again, eh, Siggy?" said Agito.

"That was a sample of fertilizer from Gaia!" said Signum, going very red in the face. "It was nothing _personal_!"

"It was," Agito whispered to Nanoha as they got up from the table. "We sent it."

* * *

**That was another plain chapter from Nanoha and friends, but things will hopefully start to go uphill from now on. The next chapter will be another short one as Nanoha and friend get ready to go to the Riot Force Interdimensional Cup and meet the rest of the Testarossa family along the way, including an old friend from St. Hilde. Will Nanoha and friends make it to the Interdimensional Cup safely? Will Subaru ever admit that she likes Teana? Will I ever think of more interesting questions than these? Hopefully so, next time on the Grand – Magic – Games!**

* * *

**~Nanoha's Corner~**

**1: Vita's Secret**

It was late at night at the Yagami Orphanage after having come back from dinner in the gardens. Vita was sitting quietly in her room, peeking out into the hall through the crack in her doors. She waited patiently as Nanoha, Hayate, Subaru, and Teana walked past her door and disappeared out of sight. Vita slowly closed the door, grinning, and silently crossed the room to a small round table, pulling out a chair for herself. Also seated around the tables were Vita's favorite bunny dolls lined up by size, each presented with a flower-printed teacup and saucer. Vita picked up the also flowery teapot and poured imaginary tea into their cups.

"More tea, Mr. Floppsy?" said Vita in a cutesy voice. "Ooh, is that a new dress, Mrs. Hare? You think I'm way prettier than Nanoha? How kind of you to say, Mr. Bun-Bun. Yes, I know I could totally take Nanoha in a fight, but thank you for saying so, Little Thumper. Aw, quit it, Mr. Hoppy, you're making me blush."

"Aw, that is _so _cute!" said Subaru, appearing at the door with Nanoha, Hayate, and Teana, all grinning.

Signum, who had been diligently working on her report, was suddenly thrown out of her chair by a loud boom that shook her bedroom. Signum pulled herself up and glowered, displeased to see the large puddle of ink splattered all over her well written statement. She grabbed Laevatein from the foot of her bed, threw open her door, slamming it into the wall with a loud _**bang **_and marched angrily into the hallway.

"What is the meaning of – " said Signum slowly.

Signum stopped in her tracks when she found Vita outside her bedroom door, standing on the pile of bodies that consisted of Nanoha, Hayate, Teana, and Subaru. Vita craned her head eerily slow toward Signum, her eyes burning fiery red and her voice deep like a demon's.

"**YOU – SAW – NOTHING!**" she growled.

That night, Signum stayed up late to finish her report and the girls had nightmares of red imps swinging giant hammers.


	6. Hiraishin

**Nanoha and the Grand Magic Games**

**Harry Potter © J.K. Rowling  
Nanoha and other franchises © designated creators**

* * *

**Chapter Six: Hiraishin**

Nanoha felt as though she had barely lain down to sleep in Hayate's room when she was being shaken awake by Shamal.

"Time to go, Nanoha, dear," she whispered, moving away to wake Hayate.

Nanoha rumbled and sat up. It was still dark outside. Hayate muttered indistinctly as her sister roused her. At the foot of Nanoha's mattress she saw two large, disheveled shapes emerging from tangles of blankets.

"'S' time already?" said Teana groggily.

They dressed in silence, too sleepy to talk, then, yawning and stretching, the four of them headed downstairs into the kitchen. Shamal was stirring the contents of a large pot on the stove, while Zafira was sitting at the table, checking a sheaf of large tickets. He looked up as the girls entered and spread his arms so that they could see his clothes more clearly.

"What do you think?" he asked anxiously. "We're supposed to go incognito – do you think I could pass for an Earthling, Nanoha?"

"You might want to cover those ears," said Nanoha, smiling, "but not bad."

"Where's Signum-san?" said Teana, rubbing her eyes tiredly.

"Well, she's using the Corridors, isn't she?" said Shamal, heaving the large pot over the table and starting to ladle what looked like purple mud into bowls. Everyone dumped the mud into the flower pot when Shamal turned her back – the plant died instantly. "So she can have a bit of a lie-in."

Nanoha had learned that the Corridors was short for the Corridors of Darkness, a tunnel that allows someone to travel between dimensions much faster and less taxing that using a Dimensional Transfer Spell, but was supposedly very dangerous.

"So she's still in bed?" said Agito grumpily as she and Rein walked into the kitchen like a pair of zombies. "Why can't we use the Corridors too?"

"Because you're not of age and you haven't passed your test," snapped Shamal. "And where has Vita got to?"

She bustled out of the kitchen and they had her marching down the hall.

"You have to pass a test to use the Corridors?" Nanoha asked.

"Oh yes," said Zafira, tucking the tickets safely into the back pocket of his jeans. "The Department of Dimensional Transportation had to fine a couple of people the other day for using the Corridors without a license. The Corridors are very dangerous and if not used properly they can lead to nasty complications. This pair I'm talking about went and got themselves Infected."

"Er – _Infected_?" said Nanoha.

"**It means they were touched by the darkness, Master,**" said Raising Heart. "**The Corridors, though convenient, are very dangerous if used improperly or if a person remains in the Corridors for a prolonged period of time. The darkness can Infect travelers and if not cured, the Infection can turn them into Heartless. Though if you had something to protect you from the darkness, like Black Coat, your chances of Infection are less likely.**"

"Were the people who were infected okay?" Nanoha asked, startled.

"Oh yes," said Zafira matter-of-factually. "But they got a heavy fine, and I don't think they'll be trying it again in a hurry. You don't mess around in the Corridors. There are plenty of adult mages who don't bother with it. Prefer Dimensional Transfer Spells – slower, but safer."

"But Signum can do it?"

"Signum only passed two weeks ago," said Rein. "She's been using the Corridors every morning since, just to prove she can."

There were footsteps down the hallway and Vita came into the kitchen, looking pale and drowsy.

"Why do we have to be up so early?" Vita said, rubbing her eyes and sitting down at the table.

"We've got a bit of a walk," said Zafira.

"Walk?" said Nanoha. "What, are we walking to the Interdimensional Cup?"

"No, no, that's all the way on Earth," said Zafira, smiling. "We only need to walk a short way. It's just that it's very difficult for a large number of mages to congregate without attracting attention from a Non-Administrated World. We have to be very careful about how we travel at the best of times, and on a huge occasion like the Riot Force Interdimensional Cup – "

"Rein!" said Shamal sharply, and they all jumped.

"What?" said Rein, in an innocent tone that deceived nobody.

"What is that in your pocket?"

"Nothing!"

"Don't lie to me!"

Shamal stomped over, pulled Rein to her feet, and reached into her pocket. She pulled out several small, brightly colored objects; Rein made a grab for them, but Shamal stretched her hand out of her reach.

"We told you to destroy them!" said Shamal furiously, holding up what were unmistakably more Twister Tops. "We told you to get rid of the lot! Empty your pockets, go on, both of you!"

It was an unpleasant scene; the twins had evidently been trying to smuggle as many Twister Tops out of the house as possible, and it was only by her keen eye and sharp intellect that Shamal managed to find all of them, even in the most unlikely places, including the lining of Rein's jacket and the turn-ups of Agito's jeans.

"We spent six months developing those!" Agito shouted at Shamal as she threw the tops away.

"Oh, a fine way to spend six months!" she shrieked. "No wonder you didn't get more S.T.A.R.s!"

All in all, the atmosphere was not very friendly as they took their departure. Shamal was still glowering as she said good bye to Zafira, though not nearly as much as the twins, who had hoisted their rucksacks onto their backs and walked out without a word to her.

"Well, have a lovely time," said Shamal, "and _behave yourselves,_" she called after the twins' retreating backs, but they did not look back or answer. "I'll send Signum along around midday," Shamal said to Zafira, as he, Nanoha, Hayate, Teana, Subaru, and Vita set off across the dark yard after Agito and Rein.

It was chilly and the moon was still out. Only a dull, greenish tinge along the horizon to their right showed that daybreak was drawing closer. Nanoha, having been thinking about thousands of mages speeding toward the Riot Force Interdimensional Cup, sped up to walk with Zafira.

"So how _does_ everyone get there without attracting attention?" she asked.

"It's not usually this difficult, but this is the first time it's been held on a Non-Administrated World," said Zafira. "The trouble is, about a hundred thousand mages turn up at the Interdimensional Cup, and of course, we have to find a site big enough to accommodate them all without drawing notice. So we had to find a nice deserted moor, and set up as many barriers as possible. The whole TSAB's been working on it for months. First, of course, we have to stagger the arrivals. People with cheaper tickets have to arrive two weeks beforehand. Some use the Corridors, but we have to set up safe points for them to appear, well away from the public. For those who don't want to use the Corridors, or can't, we use Hiraishins. They are objects when special formula seals that can allow space-time migration. You can do large groups at a time if you need to. There have been two hundred Hiraishins placed at strategic points around Mid-Childa, and the nearest one to us is at the top of the hill, so that's where we're headed."

"What sort of objects are Hiraishins?" said Nanoha curiously.

"Well, they can be anything," said Zafira. "Unobtrusive objects, obviously, so people don't go picking them up and playing with them, stuff they'll think is litter. They can only be identified by the seals that have been placed on them. Minato was a genius for developing it, Saint King bless his soul."

They trudged down the dark, dank lane toward hill, the silence broke only by their footsteps. The sky lightened very slowly as they made their way through the grassy plain, its inky blackness diluting to deepest blue. Nanoha's hands and feet were freezing. Zafira kept checking his watch. They didn't have a breath to spare for talking as they began to climb the hill, stumbling occasionally in hidden rabbit holes, slipping on thick tuffets of grass. Each breath Nanoha took was sharp in her chest and her legs were starting to seize up when, at last, her feet found level ground.

"Whew," panted Zafira. "Well, we've made good time – we've got ten minutes…" Teana came over the crest of the hill last, clutching a stitch in her side. "Now we just need the Hiraishin. It won't be big. Come on."

They spread out, searching. They had only been at it for a couple of minute, however, when a shout rent the still air.

"Over here, Zafira! Over here, we've got it!"

Three tall figures were silhouetted against the starry sky on the other side of the hilltop.

"Admiral Lindy!" said Zafira, smiling as he strode over to the woman who had shouted. The rest of them followed.

Zafira was shaking hands with a tall and very beautiful woman with mint-green hair and a bejeweled forehead. She was wearing a TSAB Dimensional Nacy uniform, which Nanoha recognized as an Admiral's suit, having seen both Admiral Kiel and Admiral Phils wear them in the past. In the admiral's other hand was a moldy-looking boot.

"This is Admiral Lindy Harlaown-Testarossa, everyone," said Zafira. "She is a very skilled leader in the Dimensional Navy's 108th Battalion and is the captain of the Claudia. And I think you know her sin, Chrono Harlaown, and her stepdaughter, Fate Testarossa."

Chrono Harlaown was an extremely handsome boy of around seventeen. He was Captain and Ace of the Hegemon House Riot Force team at St. Hilde. He said hello to everyone and everyone responded likewise except Agito and Rein, who merely nodded. They had never quite forgiven Chrono for beating their team Kaiser, in their first Riot Force match of the previous year.

Nanoha turned her direction to Fate and, for a short moment, she found herself short of breath. She didn't know why, but Fate seemed even more beautiful than she had two months ago. She was certainly taller, having beat Nanoha and Hayate by a foot, and her glittering golden hair was no longer her long pigtails, but allowed to flow down her back, tied by a single ribbon. Her ruby red eyes and her soft smile made Nanoha's face burn, something she usually did when she thought of…

"Long walk, Zafira?" Lindy asked.

"Not too bad," said Zafira. "We live just on the other side of the hill. You?"

"We had to get up at two, didn't we, kids?" said Lindy. "I tell you, I'll be glad when they've taken their Corridor Tests. Still…not complaining…the Riot Force World Interdimensional World Cup, wouldn't miss it for a truckload of credits. I've been so busy with work that I hardly get to see my other stepdaughter, Alicia, play. And now she's playing the Interdimensional Cup – I haven't been this excited since Fate won that Interdimensional Brave Duel Championship."

"You won the championship?" Nanoha asked Fate, who nodded shyly. "Way to go! That's what I'd expect from our Fate-Chan!"

"It was an awesome match!" said Subaru excitedly. "It was the greatest battle of the century: Fate "Lightning" Testarossa vs. Mikoto "Railgun" Misaka. It was so epic, especially since they were both used electric-type magic."

"Mikoto-san was a very formidable opponent," said Fate. "Maybe if we're lucky, you'll get to meet her later this year at St. Hilde – "

"Fate-san," said Chrono sharply. "That's supposed to be a secret."

"Oh, sorry, Onii-chan," said Fate apologetically.

"The children certainly are lively this morning," said Lindy, peering good-naturedly around at the Yagamis, Nanoha, Teana, and Subaru. "I knew you had a big family, Zafira, but I didn't think it would be this big."

"Only Hayate, Agito, Rein, and Vita are my sisters," said Zafira, pointing out the girls. "These three are Teana Lancaster, Subaru Nakajima, and Nanoha Takamachi. I'm sure Fate has already told you about them."

"So I finally get to meet the famous Nanoha Takamachi," said Lindy, holding out her hand for Nanoha to shake. "Fate has told me all about you and your…adventures at school. I'm happy that Fate has been able to make such good friends."

Nanoha was used to people looking curiously at her when they met her, used to the way their eyes moved at once to the star-shaped scar on her collarbone, but it always made her feel uncomfortable. But as Nanoha shook her hand, Lindy's eyes never once traveled down her shirt toward the scar. They remained locked on Nanoha's, smiling in a motherly sort of fashion.

"I heard about what happened last year, of course," said Lindy. "During your first match against my son…those dreadful Heartless ruining a good game of Riot Force…Chrono is always telling me that he didn't deserve to win because it wasn't a fair game. All he ever talks about is having a proper rematch."

Nanoha couldn't think of any reply to this, so she remained silent. Agito and Rein were both scowling, not at all swayed by Chrono's kindly offer. Thankfully, the tension was broken as Hayate stepped closer to Lindy, humming and looking her up and down, as if she had never seen such a creature. Lindy raised a brow of curiosity.

"So Admiral Lindy is Fate-chan's stepmother," said Hayate, tapping her chin thoughtfully. "That would mean Presea and Admiral Lindy got married. How did a wicked witch like Presea score a hot piece like Admiral Lindy?"

"Dude, that's my mom!" shouted Chrono heatedly.

"I know what I said and I'm not ashamed of it," said Hayate cheekily.

"It's all right, Chrono – women like it when you compliment them," said Lindy, giggling. She leaned forward and pointed a finger to Hayate, who went cross-eyed when staring at the accusing digit. "But I won't have you insulting Presea, understand? She may not be the most sociable person, but she's still my wife."

"Uh…yes, ma'am," said Hayate.

"Now I'm curious, how did you and Presea get married?" said Teana. "Not offense intended, but you two seem like complete opposites."

"Well, I won't deny that we had a bit of a rough patch when we first met," sighed Lindy. "It was about ten years ago when I was still an Enforcer and my husband, Clyde, had been killed during the Book of Darkness expedition. I was very depressed to have lost the man I loved, so I buried myself in my work. One day, I got an assignment for the protection of the Head of the Department of Research and Development, Presea Testarossa. Apparently, Presea had been working on a knew discovered called Project F, which was supposed to revolutionize the world, and made her the target for many rivals who lost funding for their own experiments.

"When I met Presea, the first thing she did was tell me that I was a waste of human flesh and that I would be better off playing bodyguard for the other scientists who were constantly getting in her way. You wouldn't believe how much I wanted to slap her, but I restrained myself – I still had a job to do. During the first few months, my impression of Presea was that she was a very anti-social scientist who cared more about her research than her co-workers. She was always obsessing over her project, saying she needed to get it done before it was too late. At the time, I thought she was talking about the deadline for Project F.

"Then one day, I went to work and found Presea collapsed on the floor, crying. She told me the reason she had been working so hard was because she wanted to complete Project F before Alicia's birthday, which was coming up very soon. She kept saying that if she didn't finish soon, she'd have to miss Alicia's party, which made her act even more hysterical. I tried to calm her down, but she wouldn't listen to me. So I punched her in the face."

"Was that really necessary?" asked Nanoha.

"The Testarossas apparently respond well to violence," said Lindy, laughing. "It had at least managed to calm her down. Being a mother myself, I understood how important it was to be there for your children, so I said to Presea – I said, 'You can't do everything on your own. Sometimes it's all right to ask for help. It doesn't mean that you are stupid, or weak, or incapable, it just means your human. And I swear as your bodyguard – no, as your friend, I will always be there when you need me'. Oh, I was some embarrassed to say it, but it did help Presea get the motivation she needed to start working again.

About a week later, Presea was able to finish Project F and we both made it to Alicia's birthday party in time. You should have seen the look on her face when walked inside and Alicia jumped into her arms. Her smile was so beautiful. Even after I finished my assignment, I visited Presea's department often and we agreed to give dating a try. A few years later, Presea proposed to me and the rest, as they say, is history."

"Aw, that's so romantic," said Vita with a soft sigh. Hayate and Nanoha snickered under their breaths, but quickly stopped at Vita's burning glare.

"I guess Presea isn't so bad if she has the nerve to propose to a nice lady like Lindy," said Hayate. She leaned in close to Lindy, whispering softly into her ear. "Just between us, how good is she in the bedroom."

"DUDE!" Chrono exclaimed.

"Well, that was a lovely story to pass the time," said Zafira pulling out his watch again. "Yes, we should be leaving in a minute. We'd better get ready…" He looked around at Nanoha. "Since you're new at this, I should tell you that it doesn't take much to use a Hiraishin. You just need to touch it, a finger will do – "

With difficulty, owing to their bulky backpacks, the eleven of them crowded around the old boot held out by Lindy. They all stood there, in a tight circle, as a chilly breeze swept over the hilltop. Nobody spoke. It suddenly occurred to Nanoha how odd this would look if someone were to walk up here now…eleven people, two of them adults, clutching this moldy old boot in the semi-darkness, waiting…

"Three…," muttered Zafira, one eye still on his watch, "two…one…"

It happened immediately: Nanoha felt as though a hook just behind her navel had been suddenly jerked irresistibly forward. Her feet left the ground; she could feel Hayate and Fate on either side of her, their shoulders banging into hers; they were all speeding forward in a howl of wind and swirling colors; her forefinger was stuck to the boot as though it was pulling her magnetically onward and then –

Her feet slammed into the ground; Hayate staggered into her and she fell over; the Hiraishin hit the ground near her head with a heavy thud. Nanoha looked up. Zafira, Lindy, and Chrono were still standing, though looking very windswept; everybody else was on the ground.

"Seven past five from Southern Mid-Childa," said a voice.

* * *

**That one turned out to be a little longer than I was expecting, but I felt that everyone deserved a little background on Lindy/Presea since people would just start asking me anyway, and I left some nice little hints for the rest of the story. In the next chapter, we get to see dozens of new characters, even some that will appear later at St. Hilde, and everyone is getting ready for the big match. Who will emerge victorious in the Interdimensional Cup? Will the House of Testarossa earn another victory? Will Raising Heart ever get more lines? Find out next time on the Grand – Magic – Games!**

* * *

**Sorry to say that I couldn't post another Nanoha's corner, but I do have some bit of news. I am thinking of finally stepping out of parodies and deciding to write my own original story: The White Devil. I will be honest in saying that I was inspired by Arkham Origins, but Nanoha will not be Batman.**

**It is an AU story where Nanoha's origin is almost similar to the original, but instead of hunting Jewel Seeds, she used her powers to become a full-time superhero, fighting crime in Uminari City and protecting the world from villains like the mysterious Grim Reaper and her arch-enemy, Bleed. **

**I might post a profile page later this week, but first I want to hear what you think. You can send your opinions to me via review or PM. I look forward to hearing your thoughts and maybe you have some ideas of your own. Thank you for your attention.**


	7. Setzer and Crowbel

**Nanoha and the Grand Magic Games**

**Harry Potter © J.K. Rowling  
Nanoha and other franchises © designated creators**

**Note: For those who are unaware of it right now, be sure to check out the first chapter of my new original story, the White Devil**

* * *

**Chapter Seven: Sezter and Crowbel**

Nanoha disentangled herself from Hayate and got to her feet. They had arrived on what appeared to be a deserted stretch of misty moor. In front of them was a pair of tired and grumpy-looking men, one of whom was holding a large gold watch, the other a thick roll of paper and a pen.

"Morning, Karlo," said Zafira, picking up the boot and handing it to one of them, who threw it into a large box of used Hiraishin beside him; Nanoha could see an old newspaper, an empty drinking can, and a punctured football.

"Hello there, Zafira-Sama," said Karlo wearily. "Not on duty, eh? It's all right for some. We've been here all night. You'd better get out of the way, we've got a big party coming in from Providence at five-fifteen. Hang on, I'll find your campsite…Yagami…Yagami…" He consulted his list. "About a quarter of a mile's walk over there, first field you come to. Site manager's called Mr. Roberts. Testarossa…second field…ask for Mr. Payne."

"Fate, why don't you go with your friends?" said Lindy, following behind Zafira and the others. "I'm sure you girls have a lot to catch up on. We'll see you at the match."

They set off across the deserted moor, unable to make out much through the mist. After about twenty minutes, a small stone cottage next to a gate swam into view. Beyond it, Nanoha could just make out the ghostly shapes of hundreds and hundreds of tents, rising up the gentle slope of a large field toward a dark wood on the horizon. They said good-bye to Lindy and Chrono and approached the cottage door.

An Irish man was standing in the doorway, looking out at the tents. Nanoha knew at a glance that this was the only Earthling besides herself for several acres. When he heard their footsteps, he turned his head to look at them.

"Morning!" said Zafira brightly.

"Morning," said the man.

"Would you be Mr. Roberts?"

"Aye, I would," said Mr. Roberts. "And who are you?"

"Yagami – two tents, book a couple days ago?"

"Aye," said Mr. Roberts, consulting a list tacked to the door. "You've got a space by the woods there. Just the one night?"

"That's it," said Yagami.

"You'll be paying now, then?" said Mr. Roberts.

"Ah – right – certainly – " said Zafira. He retreated a short distance from the cottage and beckoned Nanoha toward him. "Help me, Nanoha," he muttered, pulling out a roll of, to Nanoha's astonishment, Euros from his pocket and started to peel the notes apart. "This one's a – a – a ten? Ah yes, I see the little number on it now…so this is a five?"

"How should I know?" Nanoha hissed softly. "I'm Japanese; I don't know the first thing about European currency."

"You foreign?" said Mr. Roberts as Zafira returned with the, hopefully, correct notes.

"Er…yes, we are er…Japanese," said Zafira nervously.

"Makes sense," said Mr. Roberts, rummaging around in a tin for some change. "You're not the first one who's had trouble with money. I had two try and pay me with something that looked like an alien credit card ten minutes ago."

"Did you really?" said Zafira.

"Never been this crowded," said Mr. Roberts suddenly, looking out over the misty field again. "Hundreds of pre-bookings. People usually just turn up…"

"Is that right?" said Zafira, his hand held out for his change, but Mr. Roberts didn't give it to him.

"Aye," he said thoughtfully. "People from all over. Loads of foreigners. And not just foreigners. Weirdos, you know? There's a couple a blokes walking 'round dressed up like aliens."

"That is peculiar," said Zafira anxiously.

"It's like some sort of…I dunno…like some sort of rally," said Mr. Roberts. "They all seem to know each other. Like a big party."

At that moment, an elderly man in a black tuxedo wearing dark sunglasses appeared behind Mr. Roberts and forced in around by the shoulder, holding a silver instrument close to his face. The object flashed a blinding white light. Instantly, Mr. Roberts's eyes slid out of focus, his brow unknitted, and a look of dreamy unconcern fell over his face.

"A map of the campsite for you," Mr. Roberts said placidly to Zafira. "And your change."

The Man in Black accompanied them toward the gate to campsite. Once out of earshot of Mr. Roberts, he muttered to Zafira, "Been having a lot of trouble with him. Needs to be neuralized ten times a day to keep him happy. And Setzer Gabbiani's not helping. Trotting around talking about Gadgets and Logia at the top of his voice, not a worry about security. I'll be glad when this is over. See you later, Mr. Yagami."

And he walked away.

"I thought Setzer-san was Head of the Interdimensional Sports Federation," said Subaru, looking surprised. "He should know better than to talk about Gadgets on a Non-Administrated World, shouldn't he?"

"He should," said Zafira, smiling and leading them through the gates into the campsite, "but Setzer's always been a bit…well…_lax _about security. You couldn't wish for a more enthusiastic Head of the sports department though. He played Riot Force for Mid-Childa himself, you know. And he was the best Striker the Manticores ever had.

They trudged up the misty field between long rows of tents. Most looked almost ordinary; their owners had clearly tried to make them as Earth-like as possible, but had slipped up by adding chimneys, and bellpulls, or weather vanes. However, here and there was a tent so obviously magical that Nanoha could hardly be surprised the Mr. Roberts was getting suspicious. Halfway up the field stood an extravagant confection of striped silk like a miniature palace, with several live peacocks tethered at the entrance. A little farther on they passed a tent that had three floors and several turrets; and a short way beyond that was a tent that had a front garden attached, complete with a birdbath, sundial, and fountain.

"Always the same," said Zafira, smiling. "We can't resist showing off when we get together. Ah, here we are, look, this us us."

They had reached the very edge of the woods at the top of the field, and here was an empty space, with a small sign hammered into the ground that read YAGAMI.

"Couldn't have a better spot!" said Zafira happily. "The field is just on the other side of the woods there, we're as close as we could be." He hoisted his backpack from his shoulders. "Right, no magic allowed, strictly speaking, not when we're out in these numbers on a Non-Administrated World. We'll be putting these tents up by hand. Shouldn't be too difficult…"

Nanoha had never been camping in her life; the Henkens had never taken her on any kind of holiday, preferring to leave her with Yugao Uzuki, the district police captain. However, she and Zafira worked out where most of the poles and pegs should go, and though Hayate and Fate was more of a hindrance than a help, they finally managed to erect a pair of shabby two-man tents.

All of them stood back to admire their handiwork. Nobody looking at these tents would guess they belongs to mages, Nanoha thought, but the trouble was that even without Signum present, the tents were simply too small for ten people. Nanoha gave a quizzical look to Teana as Zafira dropped to his hands and knees and entered the first tent.

"We'll be a bit cramped," he called, "But I think we'll all squeeze in. Come and have a look."

"Nanoha bent down, ducked under the tent flap, and felt her jaw drop. She had walked into what looked like an old-fashioned, three-room flat, complete with bathroom and kitchen. Oddly enough, it was furnished in exactly the same sort of style as Captain Uzuki's house: there were crocheted covered on the mismatched furniture and piles of papers everywhere.

"Well, it's not for long," said Zafira, peering in at the four bunk beds that stood in the bedroom. "I borrowed this from Doctor Strange at the Department of Mystics and Rituals. Doesn't get out much these days, poor fellow." He picked up the dusty kettle and peered inside it. "We'll need water…"

"There's a pump marked on this map Mr. Roberts gave us," said Teana, who had followed Nanoha inside the tent and seemed completely unimpressed by its extraordinary inner proportions. "It's on the other side of the field."

"Well, why don't you kids go and get us some water then" – Zafira handed over the kettle and s couple of saucepans – "and the rest of us will get wood for a fire."

"But we've got an oven," said Hayate. "Why can't we just – "

"Hayate, we are on a Non-Administrated World," said Zafira strictly. "You may not like it, but as Head of the Wolkenritter, I take my job very seriously. While we are here, we shall do things the Earth way."

After a quick tour of the second tent, which was slightly smaller than the first, though without the clutter, Nanoha, Fate, Hayate, Teana, and Subaru set off across the campsite with the kettle and saucepans. Now, with the sun newly raised and the mist lifting, they could see the city of tents that stretched in every direction. They made their way slowly through the row, staring eagerly around. It was only just dawning on Nanoha how many different types of people there must be in the universe; she had never really thought much about those in worlds besides Mid-Childa.

Their fellow campers were starting to wake up. First to stir were the families with small children; Nanoha had never seen mages this young before. A tiny boy no older than two was crouched outside a large pyramid-shaped tent, holding what looked like an Egyptian crook and poking happily at a slug in the grass, which was swelling slowly to the size of a salami. As they drew level with him, his mother cam hurrying out of the tent.

"_How_ many times, Carter? You _don't – touch – daddy's – Device – _yecchh!"

She had trodden on the giant slug, which burst. Her scolding carried after them on the still air, mingling with the little boy's yells – "You bust slug! You bust slug!"

A short way farther on, they saw two little girls, barely older than Carter, gliding at least a foot of the ground, their toes skimming the dewy grass. A TSAB mage had already spotted them; as he hurried past Nanoha, Fate, Hayate, Subaru, and Teana he muttered distractedly, "In broad daylight! Parents having a lie-in, I suppose – "

Here and there adult mages and aliens were emerging from their tents and starting to cook breakfast. Some, with furtive looks around them, conjured fired with magic; others were striking matches with dubious looks on their faces, as though sure this couldn't work. Three Coluans sat in serious conversation, all of them wearing long white robes and roasting what looked like a rabbit on a bright purple fire, while a group of teenage girls sat gossiping happily beneath a spangled banner stretched between their tents that read: DEATH WEAPON-MEISTER ACADEMY. Nanoha caught snatches of conversation in strange languages from the insides of tents they passed, and though she couldn't understand a word, the tone of every single voice was excited.

"Uh…did we accidentally stroll into a garden or something?" said Hayate.

It wasn't exactly a flower garden, but it was very close. They had walked into a patch of tents that were all covered with a thick growth of flowers that ranged from red to blue to black to yellow and so many colors that Nanoha's eyes started to hurt. Grinning faces could be seen under those that had their flaps open. Then, from behind them, they heard their names.

"Nanoha! Fate! Hayate! Teana! Subaru!"

It was Axel Lea, their fellow Kaiser fourth year. He was sitting in front of his own flower-covered tent, with a couple on children much younger than themselves; one was a boy with blonde pointed hair, the other was a girl with short inky hair.

"These are friends from my neighborhood, Roxas and Xion," said Axel, grinning. "Like what we've done with the tent? The TSAB's not too happy, but they always have a stick up their butts."

"Why shouldn't we show our colors?" said Xion curtly. "You should see what the Vaizens have got dangling all over _their _tents. You'll be supporting Radiant Garden, of course?" she added, eying the girls beadily. When they had assured her that they were indeed supporting Radiant Garden, they set off again, though Hayate said, "Like we'd say anything else surrounded by those fanatics."

"I wonder what the Vaizen have got dangling all over their tents?" said Teana.

"I think I have a good idea," said Fate.

They trudged up to the tents up field, where the Vaizen flag was fluttering in the breeze. The tent had not been bedecked with plant life, but each and every one of them had the same poster attached to it, a poster of a very beautiful blonde woman with soft, burgundy eyes. She looked _exactly _like Fate, only older and more playful.

"My sister, Alicia," said Fate quietly. "She's the Ace and star player for the Vaizen Velocities."

"You seemed to have left out that she was a total hottie," said Hayate, giggling pervertedly. Fate didn't say anything in response, but let her fist do the talking for her. "Ow! That was so uncalled for!"

"Fate-san is so lucky to have Alicia-san for a sister," said Subaru eagerly. "She's one of the best players in the universe, next to Nanoha-san, of course. And she's really young too. Only just eighteen or something. She's a _genius_, you wait until tonight, you'll see."

There was already a small queue for the pump in the corner of the field. Nanoha, Hayate, Fate, Teana, and Subaru joined it, right behind a pair of mean who were having a heated argument. One of them was a very man who was wearing long flowery nightgown. The other was clearly a TSAB officer; he was holding out a pair of pants and almost crying with exasperation, begging the man to put them on. Nanoha was overcome with such a strong fit of laughter that she had to duck out of the queue and only returned when they had collected their water and moved away.

Walking more slowly now, because of the weight of the water, they made their way back through the campsite. Here and there, they saw more familiar faces: other St. Hilde students with their families. Terra Earthshaker, the old Captain of Nanoha's House Riot Force team, who had just left St. Hilde, dragged Nanoha over to his parent's tent to introduce him, and told him excitedly that he was training to be a Keyblade Master at the Land of Departure. Next they were hailed by Maka Albarn and Soul Evens, two Hades fourth years, and a little farther on they saw Naruto Uzumaki, a handsome boy who played Ace on the Hades team. He waved and smiled at Nanoha, who slopped quite a lot of water down her front as she waved back. More to stop Teana from smirking than anything, Nanoha hurriedly pointed out a large group of teenagers whom she had never seen before.

"Who do you think they are?" she said. "They don't go to St. Hilde, do they?"

"Based on their uniforms, I think they go to the Beacon Academy in Vytal," said Fate. "I've never been to other schools besides Alicia's, but I know there are several of them. Alicia had a penpal at the Avengers Academy…this was years and years ago…and she wanted to go on an exchange trip but Mother was working on a major project then and was too distracted. He penpal got all offended when she said she wasn't going and sent her a hat filled with lice."

Nanoha laughed but didn't voice the amazement she felt at hearing about other schools. She had always known there would be others since Fate's sister went to Vaizen, but she had never imagined the sheer number of them.

"You've been gone for ages," said Rein when they finally got back to the Yagami's tents.

"Met a few people," said Hayate, setting the water down. "Hey, you got the fire started."

"Starting a fire is one of the basic tools of survival," said Zafira, throwing a small bundle of twigs into the roaring blaze. "In the Wolkenritter, I make sure that all my men understand the basics before sending them out into the field. We may live in an advanced age of technology, but there will come times when we won't have machines to do everything for us."

They had a strong fire, but Zafira said it would be at least another hour before it was hot enough to cook anything. There was plenty to watch while they waited, however. Their tent seemed to be pitched right alongside a kind of thoroughfare to the field, and TSAB members kept hurrying up and down it, greeting Zafira cordially as they passed. Zafira kept up a running commentary, mainly for Nanoha's and Teana's benefit; Hayate, Fate, and Subaru all had family that worked in the TSAB.

"That's Madam Shayarly, Liaison of Fishman Island….Here comes Martin Stein; he's one of the scientists experimenting on necular phsyics; his head's been on fire for a while now.…Hello, J…Agent J, he's with the Men in Black – they are the ones that keep people from Non-Administrated Worlds unaware….and that's those two over there…they don't have names…they're Blanks…"

"They're what?"

"From the Society of Secrets. They are the keepers of the greatest mysteries of the universe and they have very significant influence. Not even the High Council has the authority to command them."

At last, the fire was ready, and they had just started cooking eggs and sausages when Signum came strolling out of the woods toward them.

"Just left the Corridors, sir," said Signum properly. "Ah, excellent, lunch!"

They were halfway through their plates of eggs and sausages when Zafira jumped to his feet, waving and grinning at a man who was striding toward them. "Aha!" he said. "The man of the moment! Sezter!"

Setzer Gabbiani was easily the most noticeable person Nanoha had seen so far, even including the man in the flowery nightdress. He was wearing a very rich ensemble that consisted of a high-collared trench coat made from the glossiest silk and an assortment of jewelery that glittered endlessly in the sunlight. He was very tall and powerfully built with a long mane of silver hair that looked like it had been whipped through a hurricane. His face was covered in scars (probably from years of experience in the Riot Force circuit, Nanoha thought), but his dazzling smile and sharp eyes made him look handsome despite the flaws.

"Ahoy there!" Setzer called happily. He was walking as though he had springs attached to his heels and was plainly in a state of wild excitement. "Zafira, old man, what a day, eh? What a day! Could we have asked for more perfect weather? A cloudless night coming…and hardly a hiccough in the arrangements….Not much for me to do!"

Behind him, a group of haggard-looking TSAB agents rushed past, pointing at the distant evidence of some sort of a magical fire that was sending violet sparks twenty feet into the air. Signum hurried forward with her hand outstretched. Apparently her disapproval of the way Setzer Gabbiani ran his department did not prevent her from wanting to make a good impression.

"Ah – yes," said Zafira, grinning, "this is my oldest sister, Signum. She's just started in my department – and this is Agito and Rein, Vita, Hayate, and Hayate's friends, Teana Lancaster, Subaru Nakajima – you already know Fate – and Nanoha Takamachi." Setzer did the smallest double take when he heard Nanoha's name, and his eyes performed the familiar flick toward the scar on Nanoha's collarbone. "Everyone, this is Setzer Gabbiani, you know who he is, it's thanks to him we've got such good tickets – "

Setzer beamed and waved his hand as if to say it had been nothing.

"Fancy a wager on the match, Zafira?" he said eagerly. "I've already got Tsunade Senju betting me Vaizen will score first – I offered her nice odds, considering Radiant Garden's three Forwards are the strongest I've seen in years – and Elvis Presley has put up half shares on his hair gel factory on a weeklong match."

"Oh…go on then," said Zafira. "Let's see…a thousand credits on Radiant Garden to win?"

"A thousand?" Setzer Gabbiani looked slightly disappointed, but recovered himself. "Very well, very well…any other takers?"

"They're a bit young to be gambling," said Zafira. "Shamal wouldn't like – "

"We'll bet thirty-seven thousand, five hundred and three credits," said Agito as she whipped out her card, "that Radiant Garden wins – but Alicia Testarossa gets the Jewel Seed. Oh and we'll throw in a Double Disk."

"You don't want to go showing Mr. Gabbiani trash like that – " Signum hissed, but Setzer didn't seem to think that the bright-blue disk was trash at all; on the contrary, his handsome face shone with excitement as he took it from Agito, and when it created a life-sized synthetic copy of himself, Setzer roared with laughter.

"Excellent! I don't even need to look into a mirror to see this handsome face! I'd pay five thousand credits for that!"

Signum froze in an attitude of stunned disappointment.

"Girls," said Zafira under his breath, "I don't want you betting…. That's all your savings…Shamal – "

"Don't be a spoilsport, Zafira!" boomed Setzer. "They're old enough to know what they want! You think Radiant Garden will win but Testarossa will get the Jewel Seed? Not a chance, girls, not a chance…I'll give you excellent odds on that one….We'll add five thousand credits for this wonderful device, then, shall we…"

Zafira looked on hopelessly as Setzer Gabbiani whipped out his checkbook and pen and began jotting down the twins' names.

"Cheers," said Rein, taking the slip Setzer handed her and tucking it away into the front of her jacket. Setzer turned most cheerfully back to Zafira.

"Couldn't do me a brew, I suppose? I'm keeping an eye out for Midget Crowbel. My Vaizen opposite number's making difficulties, and I can't understand a word he's saying. Midget'll be able to sort it out. She speaks a hundred a fifty languages."

"Crowbel-sama?" said Signum, suddenly abandoning her look of poker-stiff disapproval and positively writhing with excitement. "She speaks over two hundred! Mermish and Corodian and Orc…"

"Anyone can speak Orc," said Agito dismissively. "All you have to do is point and grunt."

Signum threw Agito an extremely nasty look and stoked the fire vigorously to bring the kettle back to a boil.

"Any news of Eliza Falkner yet, Setzer?" Zafira asked as Setzer settled himself down on the grass beside them all.

"Not a word," said Setzer comfortably. "But she'll turn up. Poor old Eliza…memory like a cracked pot and no sense of direction. Lost, you take my word for it. She'll wander back into the office sometime in October, think it's still March."

"You don't think it might be time to send someone to look for her?" Zafira suggested tentatively as Signum handed Setzer his tea.

"Midget Crowbel keeps saying that," said Setzer, his sharp eyes widening innocently, "but we really can't spare anyone at the moment. Oh – speak of the devil! Midget!"

An elderly mage had just appeared at their fireside, and she could not made more of a contrast with Setzer Gabbiani, sprawled on the grass in his flashy rich clothes. Nanoha had seen Midget Crowbel only once in an old memory and she hadn't changed much since then. She was stiff, upright, and dressed in an impeccably crisp Admiral's uniform that made Lindy's look dirty. Her fading lavender hair was almost unnaturally straight, and her eyes were squinted so strongly they almost looked closed. Nanoha could see at once why Signum idolized her. Signum was a great believer in rigidly following rules, and Admiral Crowbel had the air of absolute strictness; Nanoha doubted even Uncle Kenji would speak against her.

"Pull up a bit of grass, Midget," said Setzer brightly, patting the ground beside him.

"No thank you, Setzer," said Admiral Crowbel, and there was a bite of impatience in her voice. "I've been looking for you everywhere. The Vaizens are insisting we add another twelve seats to the Top Box."

"Oh is _that _what they're after?" said Setzer. "I thought the man was asking to borrow a pair of tweezers. Bit of a strong accent."

"Crowbel-sama!" said Signum breathlessly, sunk into a kind of half-bow that made her look like a hunchback. "Would you like a cup of tea?"

"Oh," said Admiral Crowbel, looking over at Signum in mild surprise. "Yes – thank you, Siegfried."

Agito and Rein choked into their cups. Signum, her face as pink as her hair, busied herself with the kettle.

"Oh and I've been wanting a word with you too, Zafira," said Admiral Crowbel, her squinted eyes falling upon Zafira. "Ali Baba's on the warpath. He wants a word with you about your embargo on flying carpets."

"Besides the fact that they are tacky and out of style," said Zafira with a sigh, "I specifically told him that they are insufficient due to their thin count, flammability, and they are easy to tear, but will he listen?"

"I doubt it," said Admiral Crowbel, accepting a cup from Signum. "He's desperate to export here."

"The poor man is fighting a lost cause," said Setzer breezily. "So, been keeping busy, Midget?"

"Fairly," said Admiral Crowbel dryly. "Organizing Hiraishin across a hundred dimensions is no mean feat, Setzer."

"I expect you'll both be glad when this is over?" said Zafira.

"Glad!" said Setzer, looking shocked. "Don't know when I've had more fun…. Still, it's not as though we haven't got anything to look forward to, eh, Midget? Eh? Plenty left to organize, eh?"

"Setzer," said Admiral Crowbel lowly. "We agreed not to make the announcement until all the details – "

"Oh details!" said Setzer, waving the word away like a cloud of midges. "All eight of them have signed, haven't they? They've agreed, haven't they? I bet you anything these kids will know soon enough anyway. I mean, it's happening at St. Hilde – "

"Setzer, we need to meet the Vaizens, you know," said Admiral Crowbel sharply, cutting Setzer's remark short. "Thank you for the tea, Siegfried."

She pushed her undrunk tea back to Signum and waited for Setzer to rise; Setzer swigged down his tea in a single cup and hopped away.

"See you all later!" he said. "You'll be up in the Top Box with me – I'm commentating!" He waved, Admiral Crowbel nodded curtly, and both of them disappeared into the crowd.

"What's happening at St. Hilde, Zafira?" said Agito at once. "What were they talking about?"

"You'll find out soon enough," said Zafira, smiling.

"It's classified information, until such time as the Time-Space Administration Bureau decides to release it," said Signum stiffly. "Crowbel-sama was quite right not to disclose it."

"Oh shut up, Siegfried," said Agito.

A sense of excitement rose like a palpable cloud over the campsite as the afternoon wore on. By dusk, the still spring air itself seemed to be quivering with anticipation, and as darkness spread like a curtain over thousands of waiting mages, the last vestiges of pretense disappeared: the Bureau seemed to have bowed to the inevitable and stopped fighting the signs of blatant magic now breaking out everywhere.

Salesmen were jumping every few feet, carrying trays and pushing carts full of extraordinary merchandise. There were luminous rosettes – blue for Radiant Garden, Red for Vaizen – which were squealing the names of the players, top hats bedecked with dancing flowers, Vaizen scarves with a screeching hawk, flags of both worlds that played their anthem as they were waved; there were collectible figures of famous players, which strolled across the palm of your hand.

"Been saving my credits all year for this," Hayate told Nanoha as they, Fate, Subaru, and Teana strolled through the salesmen, buying souvenirs. Though Hayate purchased a dancing flower hat and a large blue rosette, she also bought a small figure of Alicia Testarossa. She didn't have it for long as Fate confiscated it when Hayate tried to look under mini-Alicia's skirt.

"Wow, look at these!" said Subaru, hurrying over to a cart piled high with what looked like futuristic binoculars.

"Omnioculars," said the salesman eagerly. "You can replay action…slow down everything…and they flash up a play-by-play breakdown if you need it. Bargain – ten thousand credits each."

"Wish I hadn't bought this now," said Hayate, gesturing at her dancing flower hat and gazing longingly at the Omniocular.

"Five pairs," said Nanoha, whipping out her card.

"No – don't bother," said Hayate, going red. He was always touchy about the fact that all of her friends, even Subaru, had much more money than she did.

"You won't be getting anything for Saint King's Day," Nanoha told her, thrusting Omnioculars into her friend's hands. "For about ten years."

"Fair enough," said Nanoha, grinning.

"Oooh, thanks, Nanoha-san," said Teana. "And I'll get us some programs, look – "

"Their accounts considerably lighter, they went back to the tents. Signum and Vita were both sporting blue rosettes too, and Zafira was carrying a Radiant Garden flag. Agito and Rein had no souvenirs as they had given Setzer all of their credits. And then a deep, booming gong sounded somewhere beyond the woods, and at once, blue and red lanterns blazed into life in the trees, lighting a path to the field.

"It's time!" said Zafira, looking as excited as any of them. "Come on, let's go!"

* * *

**It's time, it's time, it's finally here – the Interdimensional Riot Force Cup! I hope everyone has been paying attention to this chapter, because there has been an enormous amount of hints towards who will be appearing later in the book and in the future of the series. The next chapter will obviously be the match between Radiant Garden and Vaizen, and the first official appearance of Alicia Testarossa. Who will win the cup? Will Agito and Rein earn their credits back? (Holds up Double Disk) and have I always been this good looking? Find out next time on the Grand – Magic –Games!**

**Again, I would like to remind everyone that the White Devil is up in the MGLN section.**

* * *

**1: Devil and Dragon**

Nanoha and her friends were just coming back from the water pump, meeting and greet their friends from St. Hilde and exchanging holiday stories. But unaware of his gaze, Nanoha was being thoroughly watched by fourth year Material Rogue Chaney, one of the many people in St. Hilde who despised the White Devil. Ever since their first year together, Nanoha and her band of goodie-goodies have made a mockery of his House, stealing the glory that should rightfully belong to them.

"Dude, what's with the eyes," said the man sitting across from Rogue. "If you weren't my best friend, I'd call you a creeper. So what's got your shorts in a bunch?"

"It's her," said Rogue, gesturing his head toward Nanoha. "That little she-devil from Kaiser, Nanoha Takamachi."

"Ah, so that's the famous White Devil you keep complaining about," said Rogue's friend, snickering amusingly. "She doesn't look like much. She pretty cute, but I wouldn't go saying she's anything special. Just because she beat that queen or whatever, everyone thinks she's the next Saint King."

"She's not to be underestimated," said Rogue with a warning tone. "She may appear non-threatening, but she is a Visored, a Human-Hollow hybrid. I can only count the number of times she has beaten the odds."

"Man, I told you ya should have joined the Institute," said Rogue's friend, falling back into the grass, staring up at the clouds. "That St. Hilde place is only holding you back. The Master says that people from St. Hilde are way too soft to be real mages. And I'm going to prove it later on this year."

"You're going to compete?" asked Rogue.

"Hell yeah, I am," said Rogue friend, grinning. "And then I'm gonna show everyone there that the White Devil will never be as good as the White Dragon."


	8. The Riot Force Interdimensional Cup

**Nanoha and the Grand Magic Games**

**Harry Potter © J.K. Rowling  
Nanoha and other franchises © designated creators**

**Note: Feel free to read my other story, the White Devil, in the MGLN section**

* * *

**Chapter Eight: The Riot Force Interdimensional Cup**

Clutching their purchases, Zafira in the lead, they all hurried into the woods, following the lantern-lit trail. They could hear the sounds of thousands of people moving around them, shouts and laughter, snatches of singing. The atmosphere of feverish excitement was highly infectious; Nanoha couldn't stop grinning. They walked through the woods for twenty minutes, talking and joking loudly, until at last they emerged on the other side and found themselves in the shadow of a gigantic stadium. Though Nanoha could see only a fraction of the immense gold walls surrounding the field, she could tell that thirty cathedrals would fit comfortably inside.

"Seat fifty million," said Zafira, spotting the awestruck look on Nanoha's face. "Bureau task force of five hundred thousand has been working on it all year. Every inch of it is covered by a repelling spell. Every time someone who was not invited got anywhere near here all year, they've suddenly remembered urgent appointments," he added, leading the way toward the nearest entrance, which was already surrounded by a swarm of shouting mages and aliens.

"Prime seats!" said the Bureau official at the entrance when she checked their tickets. "Top Box! Straight upstairs, Zafira, and as high as you can go."

The stairs into the stadium were carpeted in velvet red. They clambered upward with the rest of the crowd, which slowly filtered away through doors into the stands to their left and right. Zafira's party kept climbing, and at last they reached the top of the staircase and found themselves in a small box, set at the highest point of the stadium and situated exactly halfway between the goal posts. About twenty red-and-gilt chairs stood in two rows here, two of which were already occupied by Admiral Lindy and Chrono. Fate took a seat next to her step-mother and step-brother in the back from, and Nanoha, filing into the front seats with the Yagamis, looked down upon a scene the likes of which she could never have imagined.

Fifty millions men, women, and aliens were taking their places in the seats, which rose in levels around the long oval field. Everything was suffused with a mysterious golden light, which seemed to come from the stadium itself. The field looked smooth as velvet from their lofty position. At either end of the field was the silver-rimmed, neon-purple net; right opposite them, almost at Nanoha's eye level, was a gigantic monitor board. Watching it, Nanoha saw that it was flashing advertisements across the field.

'_The Jadejet: Gear for the whole family – safe, reliable, and with built-in anti-burglar buzzer…Mrs. Skower's All-Purpose Magical Mess Remover: no pain, no stain!...Erza's Armors for All Occasions- Cranagan, Belkan District, Disney Land…'_

Nanoha tore her eyes away from the sign and looked over her shoulder to see who else was sharing the box with them. So far it was just the Yagamis and the Testarossas, except for a thin aliens sitting in the second from last seat at the end of the row behind. The creature, whose head-tails were twitching anxiously, was wearing a pair of towels like makeshift clothing that barely covered her, and it had its face hidden in its hands. Those head-tails – Lekku, Nanoha remembered them being called – were oddly familiar….

"_Vette_?" said Nanoha incredulously.

The alien looked and stretched its fingers, revealing wide green eyes. Now that Nanoha had a better look at her, she knew it wasn't Vette – it was, however, unmistakably a Twi'lek. Though they looked similar, this one's skin was a soft shade of olive as opposed to Vette's vibrant blue. The silver collar around her neck as a firm indicator that she was a slave, just as Vette had been. Nanoha had tricked Vette's old owners, the Eberweins, to set her free.

"Did miss just call me Vette?" squeaked the Twi'lek curiously from between her fingers. Hayate, Subaru, and even Teana spun around in their seats to look. Though they had heard a lot about Vette from Nanoha, they had never actually met her. Fate must have before, having probably met the Eberweins on several occasions, which was why she showed more interest in her program than the slave.

"Sorry," Nanoha told the Twi'lek, "I just thought you were someone I knew."

"But I know Vette too, miss!" squeaked the Twi'lek. She was shielding her face, as though blinded by light, though the Top Box was not brightly lit. "My name is Oola, miss – and you, miss – " Her green eyes widened to the size of dinner plates as they rested upon Nanoha's collarbone. "You're Nanoha Takamachi!"

"Yeah, I am," said Nanoha.

"But Vette talks about you all the time, miss!" she said, lowering her hands slightly and looking awestruck.

"How is she?" said Nanoha. "How's freedom suiting her?"

"Ah, miss," said Oola, shaking her head, "ah miss, meaning no disrespect, miss, but I'm not sure you did Vette a favor, miss, when you set her free."

"Why?" said Nanoha, taken aback. "What's wrong with her?"

"Freedom is going to Vette's head, miss," said Oola sadly. "Running about in every direction, taking on random jobs, out there with no stable work. And the worst part is…"

"The worst part?" said Nanoha.

Oola lowered her voice by a half-octave and whispered, "_She is wanting payment for her work, miss._"

"Payment?" said Nanoha blankly. "Well – why shouldn't she be paid?"

Oola looked quite horrified at the idea and closed her fingers slightly so that her face was half-hidden again.

"Oola has obviously been born into slavery," said Fate, still not looking up from her program. "I'm sure Vette already told you the difference between servants born into slavery and servants who were captured and forced into it. Vette was captured slave, so it's understandable that she wants to be set free, having worked for such a horrible family like the Eberweins. But slaves look Oola were born and raised to follow the rules of the family house and most of them think that payment is the highest form of sin."

"Well, I don't see what's wrong with Vette having a little fun," said Nanoha.

"Slaves are not supposed to have fun, miss," said Oola firmly, from behind her hands. "Slaves do what they are told. I don't like heights at all, miss" – she glanced toward the edge of the box and gulped – "but my master sent me to the Top Box and I came, miss."

"Why did he send you up here, if he knows you don't like heights?" said Nanoha, frowning.

"Master – master wants me to save her a seat, miss. She is very busy," said Oola, tilting her head back toward the empty space beside her. "Oola is wishing she was back in master's tent, miss, but Oola does what she is told. Oola is a good slave."

She gave the edge of the box another frightened look and hid her eyes completely again. Nanoha turned back to the others.

"So that's a slave?" Subaru muttered. "Weird things, aren't they?"

"Vette was weirder," said Nanoha fervently.

Hayate pulled out her Omnioculars and started testing them, staring down into the crowd on the other side of the stadium.

"Wild!" she said, twiddling the replay knob on the side. "I can make that old man down there pick his nose again…and again…and again. Hey, Fate-chan, think you can do a girl a favor and use these when your mothers are…getting it on?" Fate reached over, grabbed the Omnioculars, and whacked Hayate over the head with them. "Ow! It was a joke!"

Teana, meanwhile, was skimming eagerly through her velvet-covered, tasseled program.

"A display from the team mascots will precede the match," she read aloud.

"Oh that's always worth watching," said Zafira. "Interdimensional teams bring creatures from their native lands, you know, to put on a bit of a show."

The box filled gradually around them over the next half hour. Lindy and Zafira kept shaking hands with people who were obviously very important. Signum jumped to her feet so often that she looked as though she were trying to sit on a hedgehog. When Admiral Largo Kiel arrived, Signum bowed so low that her forehead hit the rest of her seat. Highly embarrassed, she remained in her seat, throwing jealous looks at Nanoha, whom Admiral Kiel had greeted like an old friend. Admiral Kiel shook Nanoha's hand in a fatherly fashion, asked how her sister was, and introduced her to the men on either side of him.

"Nanoha Takamachi, you know," he told the Vaizen representative loudly, who was wearing splendid clothing of black velvet with gold and didn't seem to understand a word they were saying. "_Nanoha Takamachi…_oh come on, you know who she is…the girl who survived the Dark Queen…you _do _know who she is – "

The Vaizen representative suddenly spotted Nanoha's scar barely visible from her shirt and started gabbling loudly and excitedly, pointing at it.

"Knew we'd get there in the end," said Admiral Kiel wearily to Nanoha. "I'm no great shakes at languages; I need Midget Crowbel for this sort of thing. Ah, I see her slave is saving her a seat….Good job too, these Vaizen representatives have been trying to cadge all the best places…ah, and here's Lord Dearche!"

Nanoha, Hayate, Fate, Teana, and Subaru turned quickly. Edging along the second row to three still-empty seats right behind Zafira was none other than Vette's former masters: Lord Dearche Eberwein; her daughter, Yuri; and a woman Nanoha had never seen before.

Nanoha and Yuri had been enemies since their very first journey to St. Hilde. A fair-skinned girl with golden hair and cold, uncaring eyes that matched her mother's. The woman with them was the exact opposite of the Eberweins. She had sapphire-blue hair tied into long pigtails and a happy-go-lucky grin that was presently being stuffed with popcorn by the handful.

"Ah, Admiral Kiel," said Lord Dearche, holding out her hand as she reached for the admiral. "How are you? I don't think you've met my sister, Levi? Or my daughter, Yuri?"

"How do you do, how dod you do?" said Admiral Kiel, smiling and bowing to Levi. She wasn't paying attention to the admiral; her mind was preoccupied by the large Slurpee she had purchased. "And allow me to introduce you to Mr. Oblansk – Obalonsk – Mr. – well, he's the Vaizen representative, and he can't understand a word I'm saying anyway, so never mind. And let's see who else – I'm sure you're familiar with our respectable Admiral Harlaown. Hmm…ah, you know Zafira Yagami, I daresay."

It was a tense moment. Zafira and Lord Dearche looked at each other and Nanoha vividly recalled the last time they had come face-to-face: It had been in Spellbinders bookshop, and they had a fight. Lord Dearche's cold eyes swept over Zafira, and then up and down the row.

"Saint King, Zafira," he said softly. "What did you to sell to get seats in the Top Box? Surely your house wouldn't have fetched this much?"

"Now, now, _Dearche_," said Lindy, speaking in a low and intimidating tone. "You shouldn't be rude to our guests, now should you? I heard that you made a _very _generous contribution to the Saint King Hospital, but the history of said donation seems…questionable. There isn't anything you would want to say in front of the High Council, would there?"

"No – no, nothing to worry about," said Lord Dearche, with a very strained smile.

Lord Dearche's eyes had returned to Teana, who went slightly pink, but stared determinedly back at her. Nanoha knew exactly what was making Lord Dearche's lip curl like that. The Eberweins prided themselves on being purebloods; in other words, they consider anyone of Machlos descent, like Teana, second-class. However, under the gaze of Admiral Lindy, Lord Dearche didn't dare say anything. She nodded sneeringly to Zafira and continued down the line to her seats. Yuri shot Nanoha, Hayate, Fate, Teana, and Subaru a contemptuous look, then settled herself between her mother and aunt.

"Slimy bitch," Hayate muttered as they turned to face the field again. Next moment, Setzer Gabbiani charged into the box.

"Everyone ready?" he said, his handsome face gleaming with excitement. "Admiral – ready to go?"

"Ready when you are, Setzer," said Admiral Kiel comfortably.

Setzer reached into his coat, whipped out a microphone, and then spoke over the roar of sound that was now filling the packed stadium; his voice echoed over them, booming into every corner of the stands.

"Ladies and gentlemen…welcome! Welcome to the final of the eighty-seventh Riot Force Interdimensional Cup!"

The spectators screamed and clapped. Millions of flags waved, adding their discordant anthems to the racket. The huge monitor opposite them had been wiped clean of its last message (_Miss Goldenweek's Palette Pellets – Bring Some Color to your Life!_) and now showed VAIZEN: 0, RADIANT GARDEN: 0.

"And now, without further ado, allow me to introduce…the Vaizen Team Mascots!"

The right-side of the stands, which was a solid block of scarlet, roared its approval.

"I wonder what they've brought," said Zafira, leaning forward in his seat. "Aaah!" He suddenly threw himself back into his seat. "_Succubus_!"

"What are Suc - ?"

But a hundred Succubus were now gliding out onto the field, and Nanoha's question was answered for her. Succubus were women…the most beautiful women Nanoha had ever seen…except that they weren't – they couldn't be – human. This puzzled Nanoha for a moment while she tried to guess what exactly they could be; what could make their skin shine moon-bright like that, or their golden-blonde hair fan out behind them without wind, or how their ruby red eyes seemed to sparkle so brightly. They reminded her of someone…but then the music started, and Nanoha stopped worrying about them not being human – in fact, she stopped worrying about anything at all.

"The Succubus had started to dance, and Nanoha's mind had gone completely blank. All that mattered in the world was that she kept watching the Succubus, because if they stopped dancing, terrible things would happen. And as the Succubus danced faster and faster, wild, half-formed thoughts started chasing through Nanoha's dazed mind. She wanted to do something very impressive, right now. Jumping from the box into the stadium seemed a good idea…but would it be good enough?

"Nanoha, what _are_ you doing?" said Fate's voice from a long way off.

The music stopped. Nanoha blinked. She was standing up, and one of her legs was resting on the wall of the box. Next to her, Hayate was frozen in an attitude that looked as though she were about to dive from a springboard.

Angry yells were filling the stadium. The crowd didn't want the Succubus to go. Nanoha was with them; she would, of course, be supporting Vaizen, and she wondered vaguely why she had a large blue rosette pinned to her chest. Hayate, meanwhile, was absentmindedly shredding the flowers on her hat. Zafira, smiling slightly, leaned over to Hayate and tugged the hat out of her hands.

"You'll be wanting that," he said, "once Radiant Garden has had their say."

"Huh?" said Hayate, staring openmouthed at the Succubus, who had now lined up along one side of the field.

Teana made a loud tutting noise as Subaru pulled Nanoha back into her seat. Looking over at her friend, she realized that Subaru had not been as easily affected by the Succubus as she and Hayate had been. Fate and Teana were understandable given that they were both smart, but it seemed out of the ordinary for Subaru.

"And now, roared Setzer Gabbiani's voice, "kindly put your hands in the air…for the Radiant Garden Team Mascots!"

Next moment, what seemed to be a colorful comet came zooming into the stadium. It did one circuit of the stadium, then split into two smaller comets, each hurtling toward the goal posts. A rainbow arced suddenly across the field, connecting the two balls of light. The crowd oooohed and aaaaahed, as though at a fireworks display. Now the rainbow faded and the balls of light reunited and merged; they had formed a great shimmering flower, which rose into the sky and began to soar over the stands. Something like golden rain seemed to be falling from it –

"Excellent!" yelled Hayate as the flower soared over them, and heavy gold coins rained from it, bouncing off their heads and seats. Squinting up at the flower, Nanoha realized that it was actually comprised of thousands of tiny little winged creatures with blue vests, each carrying a minute lamp of a different color.

"Fairies!" said Zafira over the tumultuous applause of the crowd, many of whom were still fighting and rummaging around under their chairs to retrieve the gold.

"There you go," Hayate yelled happily, stuffing a fistful of gold coins into Nanoha's hand," for the Omnioculars! Now you've got to buy me a Saint King's Day present, ha!"

The great flower dissolved, the fairies drifted down onto the field on the opposite side from the Succubus, and settled themselves cross-legged to watch the match.

"And now, ladies and gentlemen, kindly welcome – the Vaizen Interdimensional Riot Force Team! I give you – Dmitri!" A scarlet-clad figure shout out onto the field from an entrance far below, to wild applause from the Vaizen supporters. "Ivan! Zagart! Levi! Volko! Vulcan! Aaaaaaand – _Testarossa!_"

"That's her! That's her!" yelled Subaru, following Alicia with her Omnioculars. Nanoha quickly focused her own.

Alicia Testarossa could have been an exact copy of Fate except that she was older, taller, and more…developed in certain areas. She was the complete opposite of Fate in terms of personality, taking in the thunderous applause while blowing exaggerated kisses to her audience. It was hard to believe she was only eighteen.

"And now, please greet – the Radiant Garden Interdimensional Riot Force Team!" yelled Setzer. "Presenting – Leonhart! Lockhart! Valentine! Tidus! Wakka! Tilmitt! Aaaaaaand – _Kisaragi!_"

Seven blue blurs swept onto the field; Nanoha spun a small dial on the side of her Omnioculars and slowed the players down enough to read the "A.C.S." on Kisaragi's large shuriken and the same on the other player's Devices along with their names, embroidered in gold.

"And here, all the way from Thanagar, our referee, acclaimed Chairman of the Interdimensional Association of Riot Force, Katar Hol!

A large and muscular man with powerful, feathery wings growing from his spine, wearing armor of solid gold to match the stadium, strode out onto the field. A silver whistle was hanging around her neck, and he was carrying a large metal crate under one arm, a silver mace clutched in her the other. Nanoha spun the speed dial on her Omnioculars back to normal, watching closely as Hol flapped his wings and kicked the crate open – four items burst into the air: the scarlet Logia, the two silver Gadgets, and (Nanoha saw it for the briefest moment, before it sped out of sight) the miniscule Jewel Seed. With a sharp blast of his whistle, Hol shot into the air after the objects.

"Theeeeeeeey're OFF!" screamed Setzer. "And it's Tidus! Wakka! Leonhart! Dmitri! Back to Tidus! Wakka! Levi! Leonhart!"

It was Riot Force as Nanoha had never seen it played before. She was pressing her Omnioculars so hard to her eyes that she was close to smashing them through her skull. The speed of the players was incredible – the Forwards were throwing the Logia to one another so fast that Setzer only had time to say their names. Nanoha spun the slow dial on the right of her Omnioculars again, pressed the play-by-play button on the top, and she was immediately watching in slow motion, while glittering blue lettering flashed across the lenses and the noise of the crowd pounding against her eardrums.

HAWKSPEAR ATTACKING FORMATION, she read as she watched the three Radiant Garden Forwards closely together, Tidus in the center, slightly ahead of Leonhart and Wakka, bearing down upon the Vaizens. PALADIN PLOY flashed up next, as Tidus made as though to dart upward with the Logia, drawing away the Vaizen Forward Ivan and dropping the Logia to Wakka. One of the Vaizen Strikers, Volko, swung hard at a passing Gadget, knocking it into Wakka's path; Wakka ducked to avoid the Gadget and dropped the Logia; and Levi, soaring beneath, caught it –

"TIDUS SCORES!" roared Setzer, and the stadium shuddered with a roar of applause and cheers. "Ten zero to Radiant Garden!"

"What?" Nanoha yelled, looking wildly around through her omnioculars. "But Levi's got the Logia!"

"Nanoha-san, if you're not going to watch at normal speed, you're going to miss things!" shouted Teana, who was dancing up and down, waving her arms in the air while Tidus did a lap of honor around the field. Nanoha looked quickly over the top of her Omnioculars and saw that the fairies watching from the sidelines had all risen into the air again and formed the great, glittering flower. Across the field, the Succubus were watching them sulkily.

Furious with herself, Nanoha spun her speed dial back to normal as play resumed.

Nanoha knew enough about Riot Force to see that the Radiant Garden Forwards were superb. They worked as a seamless team, their movements so well coordinated that they appeared to be reading one another's minds as they positioned themselves, and the rosette on Nanoha's chest kept squeaking their names: "_Tidus – Wakka – Leonhart_!" And within ten minutes, Radiant Garden had scored twice more, bringing their lead to thirty-zero and causing a thunderous tide of roars and applause from the blue-clad supporters.

The match became still faster, but more brutal. Volko and Vulcan, the Vaizen Strikes, were whacking the Gadgets as fiercely as possible at the Radiant Garden Forwards, and were starting to prevent them from using some of their best moves; twice they were forced to scatter, and then, finally, Ivan managed to break through their ranks; dodge the Rear Guard, Tilmitt; and score Vaizen's first goal.

"Fingers in your ears!" bellowed Lindy as the Succubus started to dance in celebration. Nanoha screwed up her eyes too; she wanted to keep her mind on the game. After a few seconds, she chanced a glance at the field. The Succubus had stopped dancing, and Vaizen was again in possession of the Logia.

"Dmitri! Levi! Dmitri! Ivan – oh I say!" roared Setzer.

Fifty million viewers gasped as the two Aces, Alicia and Kisaragi, plummeted through the center of the Forwards, so fast that it looked as though they had just jumped from airplanes without parachutes. Nanoha followed their descent through her Omnioculars, squinting to see where the Jewel Seed was –

"They're going to crash!" screamed Subaru.

She was half-right – at the very last second, Alicia Testarossa pulled out of the dive and spiraled off. Kisaragi, however, hit the ground with a dull thud that could be heard throughout the stadium. A huge groan rose from the Radiant Garden seats.

"Idiot!" moaned Zafira. "Testarossa was feinting!"

"It's a time-out!" yelled Setzer's voice, "as trained medical professionals hurry onto the field to examine Yuffie Kisaragi!"

"She'll be okay, she only got plowed!" Chrono said reassuringly to Vita, who was hanging over the side of the box, looking horror-struck. "Which is was Alicia was after, of course…"

Nanoha hastily pressed the replay and play-by-play buttons on her Omnioculars, twiddled the speed dial, and put them back up to her eyes.

She watched as Alicia and Yuffie dived again in slow motion. WEIGHTED DEFENSIVE FEINT – DANGEROUS SEEKER DIVERSION read the shining blue lettering across the lenses. She saw Alicia's face contort with concentration as she pulled out of the dive just in time, while Yuffie was flattened, and she understood – Alicia hadn't seen the Jewel Seed at all, she was just making Yuffie copy her. Nanoha had never seen anyone fly like that; Alicia moved so easily through the air that she looked unsupported and weightless. Nanoha turned her Omnioculars back to normal and focused them on Alicia. She was now circling high above Yuffie, who was being revived by medics. Nanoha, focusing still more closely on Alicia's face, saw her burgundy eyes darting all over the ground a hundred feet below. She was using the time while Yuffie was revived to look for the Jewel Seed without interference.

Yuffie got to her feet at last, to loud cheers from the blue-clad supports, and kicked back off into the air. Her revivals seemed to give Radiant Garden new heart. When Hol blew his whistle, the Forwards moved into action with a skill unrivaled by anything Nanoha had seen so far.

After fifteen more fast and furious minutes, Radiant Garden had pulled ahead by ten goals. They were now leading by on hundred and thirty points to ten, and the game was starting to get dirtier.

As Wakka shot toward the goal post yet again, clutching the Logia tightly under his arm, the Vaizen Rear Guard, Zagart, flew out to meet him. Whatever happened was over so quickly Nanoha didn't catch it, but a scream of rage from the Radiant Garden crowd, and Hol's long, shrill whistle blast, told her it had been a foul.

"And Hol takes the Vaizen Rear Guard to task for bracing – excessive use of elbows!" Setzer informed the roaring spectators. "And – yes, it's a penalty for Radiant Garden!"

The fairies, who had risen angrily into the air like a swarm of glittering hornets when Wakka had been fouled, now darted to gether to form the words "HA, HA, HA!" The Succubus on the other side of the field leapt to their feet, tossed their hair angrily, and started to dance again.

As one, Nanoha and the Yagamis stuffed their fingers into their ears, but Subaru, who still remained unaffected, was soon tugging on Nanoha's arm. She turned to look at her, and she pulled her fingers out of her ears.

"Look at the referee!" she said, giggling.

Nanoha looked down at the field. Katar Hol had landed right in front of the dancing Succubus, and was acting very oddly indeed. He was flexing his muscles and smoothing his feathers excitedly.

"Now, we can't have that!" said Setezer Gabbiani, though he sounded highly amused. "Somebody slap the referee!"

A medic came tearing across the field, his fingers stuffed into his own ears, and kicked Hol hard in the shins. Hol seemed to come to himself; Nanoha, watching through the Omnioculars again, saw that he looked exceptionally embarrassed and had started shouting at the Succubus, who had stopped dancing and were looking mutinous.

"And unless I'm mistaken, Hol is actually attempting to send off the Vaizen team mascots!" said Setzer's voice. "Now _there's _something we haven't seen before….Oh this could turn nasty…"

It did: The Vaizen Strikes, Volko and Vulcan, landed on either side of Hol and began arguing furiously with him, gesticulating toward the fairies, who had now gleefully formed the words "HEE, HEE, HEE." Hol was not impressed by the Vaizens' arguments, however; he was jabbing his finger into the air, clearly telling them to get flying again, and when they refused, he gave two short blasts on his whistle.

"_Two _penalties for Radiant Garden!" shouted Setzer, and the Vaizen crowd howled with anger. "And Volko and Vulcan had better get back into the air…yes…there they go… and Tidus takes the Logia…"

Play now reached a level of ferocity beyond anything they had yet seen. The Strikers on both sides were acting without mercy: Volko and Vulcan in particular seemed not to care whether they hit with Gadgets or humans as they swung around violently through the air. Dmitri shot straight at Leonhart, who had the Logia, nearly knocking him out of the air.

"_Foul!_" roared the Radiant Garden supporters as one, all standing up in a great wave of blue.

"Foul!" echoed Setzer Gabbiani's magnified voice. "Dmitri skids Leonhart – deliberately flying to collide there – and it's got another penalty – yes, there's the whistle!"

The fairies had risen into the air again, and this time, they formed a giant hand, which was making a very rude gesture at the Succubus across the field. At this, the Succubus lost control. Instead of dancing, they launched themselves across the field and began throwing what seemed to be handfuls of fire at the fairies. Watching through her Omnioculars, Nanoha saw that they didn't look remotely beautiful now. On the contrary, their skin was bloody red and cracked, horned were growing from their spines and skulls, and their mouths with filled with rows of sharp teeth and a lasing tongue.

"And _that_," yelled Lindy over the tumult of the crowd below, "is why you should never go for looks alone!"

Bureau mages were flooding onto the field to separate the Succubus and the fairies, but with little success; meanwhile, the pitched battle below was nothing to the one taking place above. Nanoha turned this way and that, staring through her Omnioculars, as the Logia changed hands with the speed of a bullet.

"Levi – Dmitri – Leonhart – Tidus – Wakka – Ivan – Leonhart again – Leonhart – LEONHART SCORES!"

But the cheers of the Radiant Garden supporters were barely heard over the shrieks of the Succubus, the blasts now issuing from the Bureau members' Devices, and the furious roars of the Vaizens. The game recommenced immediately; now Levi had the Logia, now Dmitiri. The Radiant Garden Striker Lockhart swung heavily at a passing Gadget, and hit it as hard as possible toward Alicia, who did not duck quickly enough. The Gadget exploded in her face.

There was a deafening graon from the crowd and a shriek of panic from the Testarossas; Alicia's face was charcoal black and she was spitting out blood, but Katar Hol didn't blow his whistle. He had become distracted, and Nanoha couldn't blame him; one of the Succubus had thrown a handful of fire and set his feathers alight. Nanoha wanted someone to realize that Alicia was injured; even though she was supporting Radiant Garden, Alicia was the most exciting player on the field. Subaru obviously felt the same.

"Time-out! Ah, come on, she can't play like that, look at her – "

"_Look at Kisaragi!_" Nanoha yelled. For the Radiant Garden Ace had suddenly gone into a dive, and Nanoha was quite sure that this was no Weighted Feint; this was the real thing. "She's seen the Jewel Seed! She's seen it! Look at her go!"

Half the crowd seemed to realize what was happening; the Radiant Garden supporters rose in another great wave of blue, screaming their Ace on…but Alicia was on her tail. How she could see where she was going, Nanoha had no idea; there were flecks of blood flying through the air behind her, but she was drawing level with Yuffie now as the pair of them hurtled toward the ground again –

"They're going to crash!" shrieked Teana.

"They're not!" roared Hayate.

"Kisaragi is!" yelled Nanoha.

And she was right – for the second time, Yuffie hit the groundwith tremendous force and was immediately stampeded by a horde of angry Succubus.

"The Jewel Seed, where's the Jewel Seed?" bellowed Chrono, along the row.

"She's got it – Alicia's got it – it's all over!" shouted Nanoha.

Alicia, her red uniform shining with blood from her mouth, was rising gently into the air, her fist held high, a glint of shimmering blue in her hand. The scoreboard was flashing VAIZEN: 160, RADIANT GARDEN: 170 across the crowd, who didn't seem to have realized what had happened. Then, slowly, as though a great jumbo jet were revving up, the rumbling from the Radiant Garden supporters grew louder and louder and erupted into screams of delight.

"RADIANT GARDEN WINS!" Setzer shouted, who like the fans seemed to be taken aback by the sudden end of the match. "TESTAROSSA GETS THE JEWEL SEED – BUT RADIANT GARDEN WINS – Saint King, I don't think any of us were expecting that!"

"What did she catch the Jewel Seed for?" Hayate bellowed, even as she jumped up and down, applauding with her hands over her head. "She ended it when Radiant Garden was a hundred and sixty points ahead, the idiot!"

"She knew they were never going to catch up!" Nanoha shouted back over all the noise, also applauding loudly. "The Radiant Garden Forwards were too good….She wanted to end it on her terms, that's all…"

"She was very brave, wasn't she?" Teana said, leaning forward to watch Alicia land as a swarm of medics blasted a path through the battling fairies and Succubus to get to her. "She looks a terrible mess…"

Nanoha put her Omnioculars to her eyes again. It was hard to see what was happening below, because fairies were zooming delightedly all over the field, but she could just make out Alicia, surrounded by medics. She looked surly and refused to let them mop her up. Her team members were around her, shaking their heads and looking dejected; a short way away, the Radiant Garden players were dancing gleefully in a shower of gold descending from their mascots. Flags were waving all around the stadium, the Radiant Garden anthem blared from all sides; the Succubus were shrinking back into their usual, beautiful selves now, though looking dispirited and forlorn.

"Well, we fought bravely," said a gloomy voice behind Nanoha. She looked around; it was the Vaizen representative.

"You speak our language!" said Admiral Kiel, sounding outraged. "And you've been letting me mime everything all day!"

"Well, it was very funny," said the Vaizen representative, shrugging.

"And as the Radiant Garden team performs a lap of honor, flanked by their mascots, the Riot Force Interdimensional Cup itself is brought into the Top Box!" roared Setzer.

Nanoha's eyes were suddenly dazzled by a blinding white light, as the Top Box was magically illuminated so that everyone in the stands could see the inside. Squinting toward the entrance, she saw two panting men carrying a vast golden cup into the box, which was handed to Admiral Kiel, who was still looking very disgruntled that he'd been using sign language all day for nothing.

"Let's have a really loud hand for the gallant losers – Vaizen!" Setzer shouted.

And up the stairs into the box came the seven defeated Vaizen players. The crowd below was applauding appreciatively; Nanoha could see thousands of thousands of Omniocular lenses flashing and winking in their direction.

One by one, the Vaizens filed between the rows of seats in the box, and Setzer called out the name of each as they shook ahnds with their own representative and then with Admiral Kiel. Alicia, who was last in line, looked a real mess. Two black eyes were blooming spectacularly on her bloody face. She was still holding the Jewel Seed. Alicia paid no mind to the roar that roared at the announcement of her name and as she turned away, she stopped and looked directly at Fate. Her sullen face split into a wide grin.

"Little Fate!" Alicia shouted happily, pulling Fate into a powerful bear hug. Fate's face looked hot enough to fry an egg off of when Alicia pulled her to the Vaizen team. "Hey, guys, this is my little sister, Fate! You know, the Interdimensional Brave Duel Champion! I'm so proud of my baby sister!"

"Alicia…," whined Fate.

Nanoha and the others couldn't resist laughing. And then came the Radiant Garden team. Yuffie Kisaragi was being supported by Valentine; the second crash seemed to have dazed her and her eyes looked strangely unfocused. But she grinned happily as Lockhart lifted the Cup into the air and the crowd below thundered it approval. Nanoha's hands were numb with clapping.

At last, when the Radiant Garden team had left the box to perform another lap of honor (Yuffie Kisaragi on Valentine's back, clutching hard around his neck and still grinning in a bemused sort of way), Setzer cut off the microphone and whipped it back into his pocket.

"They'll be talking about this one for year," he said hoarsely, "a really unexpected twist, that…shame it couldn't have lasted longer….Ah yes…yes, I owe you…how much?"

For Agito and Rein had just scrambled over the back of their seats and were standing in front of Setzer Gabbiani with broad grins on their faces, their hands outstretched.

* * *

**Possibly one of the greatest matches we will ever witness in their series and it reconfirms how badass the House of Testarossa really is. And who doesn't love the classic "Older sister embarrasses baby sister"? In the next chapter, events take a darker turn as the servants of Stern return for the first time in years, bring a sign of dark things to come. Does this mean that Stern will truly come back? What pans does she have in store for Nanoha? And hidden secrets await this year at St. Hilde? Find out on the next Grand – Magic –Games!**

* * *

**~Nanoha's Corner~**

**1: Sparks**

"RADIANT GARDEN WINS!" Setzer shouted, who like the fans seemed to be taken aback by the sudden end of the match. "TESTAROSSA GETS THE JEWEL SEED – BUT RADIANT GARDEN WINS – Saint King, I don't think any of us were expecting that!"

Down the rows several floors beneath the Top Box, two young girls were literally jumping for joy over their victory. Both girls were wearing school uniforms that consisted short-sleeved white dress shirt worn under a light brown vest with the school emblem on the left side and dark-tanned skirts. Because of their uniforms, it was clear that they weren't from St. Hilde, or from Radiant Garden.

Though the match had ended in favor of their team, Radiant Garden, one of them didn't seem particularly happy as much as she should be. It is true that Radiant Garden had one, but that was only because Testarossa had handed them the win instead of Radiant Garden earning it for themselves. Somehow, that didn't surprise her in the least, not if she was related to her…

"Wow, that was some match, right, Onee-sama?" said curly-haired student, falling back into her seat, panting hard from excessive cheering. "That Testarossa girl really is something, huh? Guess it shouldn't be too surprising since she's related to _her_."

"Yeah…" said the older brunette. "They're something…"

"Aw, is Onee-sama still mad that she lost to Fate-san?" cooed the curly-haired girl. Without warning, she threw her hands beneath the brunette's shirt and skirt. "There, there, let Kuroko make everything better."

"That's not helping, you damn pervert!" shrieked the brunette.

As Kuroko continued to grope her companion, she was suddenly stricken by massive amplitude of electricity that seemed to be coming from the girl herself. Before Kuroko had even hit the floor, charred black from the massive outlet, several of the audience members had smartly moved away and ignored the couple. Even though she had taken enough electricity to kill a normal man, Kuroko didn't seem upset. Rather, she was moaned loudly and shaking her behind at her friend.

"Ooh yes, it hurts so good," said Kuroko. "Hurt me more, Onee-sama! Fill me with your love!"

"Stop saying weird things!" snapped the brunette. She took a deep calmly breath and looked back to the stadium. She noticed that the Vaizens were in the Top Box and, from a distances, she could see Alicia Testarossa hugging her younger sister, Fate. "I'm not upset that I lost to Testarossa…but I wouldn't mind having a rematch…just to prove I can win."

"There, there, Onee-sama," said Kuroko, standing up properly and patting her on the shoulder. "You know, _that _event is going to take place at St. Hilde this year and I heard Fate-san goes to school there. I have no doubt that Onee-sama will get picked to compete. After all, Onee-sama is our school's ace, The Railgun."

"Yeah, I guess you're right," said the brunette, suddenly grinning with anticipation. "Maybe I'll get that chance for a rematch after – Kuroko, that better not be your hand on my butt!"

"But Onee-sama's behind is so cute and plump!" said Kuroko giddily; she moaned as the Railgun shocked her again. "Oh yes, give it to me more!"


	9. The Morning Star

**Nanoha and the Grand Magic Games**

**Harry Potter © J.K. Rowling  
Nanoha and other franchises © designated creators**

**Note: Feel free to read my other story, the White Devil, in the MGLN section**

* * *

**Chapter Nine: The Morning Star**

"_Don't _tell Shamal you've been gambling," Zafira implored Agito and Rein as they all made their way slowly down the red carpeted stairs.

"Don't worry, Zafira," said Agito gleefully, "we've got big plans for this money. We don't want it confiscated."

Zafira looked for a moment as though he was going to ask what these big plans were, but seemed to decide, upon reflection, that he didn't want to know.

They were soon caught up in the crowds now flooding out of the stadium and back to their campsites, bidding good night to the Testarossas as they went their separate ways. Raucous singing was borne toward them on the night air as they retraced their steps along the lantern-lit path, and fairies kept shooting over their heads, cackling and waving their lanterns. When they finally reached the tents, nobody felt like sleeping at all, and given the level of noise around them, Zafira agreed that they could all have one last cup of cocoa together before turning in. they were soon arguing enjoyably about the match; Zafira got drawn into a disagreement about bracing with Signum, and it was only when Vita fell asleep right at the tiny table and spilled hot chocolate all over the floor that Zafira called a halt to the verbal replays and insisted that everyone got to bed. Nanoha, Teana, Hayate, and Subaru went into the next tent and changed into their night clothes and clambered into their bunks. From the other side of the campsite they could still hear much singing and the odd echoing bang.

"Bet Zafira's glad he's not on duty," muttered Hayate sleepily. "I feel bad for the sucker who has to go and tell the Radiant Gardeners they've got to stop celebrating."

Nanoha, who was on a top bunk above Hayate, lay staring up at the canvas ceiling of the tent, watching the glow of an occasional fairy lantern flying overhead, and picturing again some of Alicia's more spectacular moves. She was itching to get back to St. Hilde and try out the Weighted Feint. Somehow Terra Earthshaker had never managed to convey with all his wriggling diagrams what that move was supposed to look like. Nanoha saw herself in a team uniform that had her name on the back, and imagined the sensation of hearing a fifty–million-strong crowd roar, as Setzer Gabbiani's voice echoed throughout the stadium, "I give you…_Takamachi!_"

Nanoha never knew whether or not she had actually dropped off to sleep – her fantasies of flying like Alicia might well have slipped into actual dreams – all she knew was that, quite suddenly, Zafira was shouting.

"Get up! Hayate – Nanoha – come on now, get up, this is urgent!"

Nanoha sat up quickly and the top of her head hit the canvas.

"S' matter?" she said.

Dimly, she could tell something was wrong. The noises in the campsite had changed. The singing had stopped. She could hear screams, and the sound of people running. She slipped down from the bunk and reached for her clothes, but Zafira, dressed only in his jeans, said "No time, Nanoha – just grab a jacket and get outside – quickly!"

Nanoha did as she was told and hurried out of the tent, Hayate, Subaru, and Teana at her heels.

By the light of the few fires that were still burning, she could see people running away into the woods, fleeing something that was moving across the field toward them, something that was emitting odd flashes of light and noises like gunfire. Loud jeering, roars of laughter, and drunken yells were drifting toward them; then came a burst of strong crimson light, which illuminated the scene.

A crowd of mages, tightly packed and moving together with their Devices out, was marching slowly across the field. Nanoha squinted at them. They didn't seem to have faces. Then she realized that their heads were hooded and their faces masked. Nanoha could barely see the man leading the pack. As opposed to his dark-robed followers, he wore all white clothing and had a bright teal hair. There was something attached to his jaw that Nanoha couldn't make out…it seemed very familiar.

More mages were joining the marching group, laughing at the frantic crowd running away. Tents crumpled and fell as the marching crowd swelled. Once or twice Nanoha saw one of the marchers blast a tent out of his way. Several caught fire. The3 screaming grew louder.

Agito, Rein and Vita came hurrying toward them, pulling coats over their night clothes, with Zafira right behind them. At moment later, Signum emerged from the tents, fully dressed, with her sword strapped to her side and a hand at the hilt.

"We're going to help the Bureau!" Zafira shouted over all the noise, pulling on his steel gloves. "You lot – get into the woods, and _stick together_. We'll come and fetch you when we've sorted this out!"

Signum was already sprinting away toward the oncoming marchers, Laevatein glinting in the light of the fires. Zafira tore after her. Bureau mages were dashing from every direction toward the source of the trouble. The crowd of masked marchers was coming ever closer.

"C'mon," said Agito, grabbing Vita's hand and starting to pull her toward the woods. Nanoha, Hayate, Subaru, Teana, and Rein followed. They all looked back as they reached the trees. The crowd of panicking campers was larger than ever; they could see the Bureau mages trying to get through it to the Man in White and his hooded followers, but they were having great difficulty.

The colored lanterns that had lit the path to the stadium had been extinguished. Dark figures were blundering through the trees; children were crying; anxious shouts and panicked voices were reverberating around them in the cold night air. Nanoha felt herself being pushed hither and thither by people whose faces she could not see. Then she heard Hayate yell with pain.

"What happened?" said Teana anxiously, stopping so abruptly that Nanoha walked into her. "Hayate-san, where are you? Oh this is stupid."

Nanoha heard a click and a bang of gunfire. A small burst of light exploded over them – Nanoha could see Teana pointing Cross Mirage over their heads. She could also see Hayate lying sprawled on the ground.

"Tripped over a tree root," she said angrily, getting to her feet again.

"Is it wrong to say that you were more coordinated as a paraplegic?" said a drawling voice from behind them.

Nanoha, Hayate, Teana, and Subaru turned sharply. Yuri Eberwein was standing alone, leaning against a tree, looking utterly relaxed. Her arms folded, she seemed to have been watching the scene at the campsite through a gap in the trees. Hayate told Yuri to do something that Nanoha knew she would never have dared to say in front of Shamal.

"Language, Yagami," said Yuri, her eyes glittering. "Hadn't you better be hurrying along, now? You wouldn't like _her_ spotted, would you?"

She nodded at Teana, and at the same moment, a blast like bomb sounded from the campsite, and a flash of crimson light momentarily lit the trees around them.

"What's that supposed to mean?" said Teana defiantly.

"Lancaster, they're after _Machlos_," said Yuri. "I heard they had already killed that stupid Machlos at the gates along with his entire family. If you feel like joining them, hang around…they're moving this way, and it would give us all a good laugh."

"Tea's a mage, you sick bitch!" Subaru snarled.

"Have it your own way, Nakajima," said Yuri, grinning maliciously. "If you think they can't spot a Half-Breed, stay where you are."

"You watch your mouth!" shouted Subaru. Everybody present knew that "Half-Breed" was a very offensive term for a mage of Machlos parentage.

"Never mind, Subaru," said Teana quickly, seizing Subaru's arm to restrain her as she took a step toward Yuri.

There came a bang from the other side of the trees that was louder than anything they had heard. Several people nearby screamed. Yuri chuckled softly.

"Scare easily, don't they?" she said lazily. "I suppose your oaf of a brother told you all to hide. What's he up to – trying to rescue some Half-Breeds?"

"Where's _your _family?" said Nanoha, her temper rising. "Out there wearing masks, are they?"

"Well, my aunt is over there poking caterpillers – she's easily amused," said Yuri, still smiling as she pointed to the trees behind her. Nanoha, Hayate, Teana, and Subaru craned their heads – Levi was indeed entertaining herself with insects. "As for my mother, well, I don't feel like telling."

"Oh come on," said Teana, with a disgusted look at Yuri, "let's go and find the others."

"Keep that big head of yours down, Lancaster," sneered Yuri.

"Come _on_," Teana repeated, and she pulled Subaru up the path again while Nanoha and Hayate followed.

"I'll bet you anything his mom _is _one of those masked freaks!" said Hayate hotly.

"Well, with any luck, the Bureau will catch her!" said Teana fervently. "Oh I can't believe this. Where have the others gone to?"

Agito, Rein, and Vita were nowhere to be seen, though the path was packed with plenty of other people, all looking nervously over their shoulders toward the commotion back at the campsite. A huddle of teenagers in pajamas was arguing vociferously a little way along the path. When they saw Nanoha, Hayate, Teana, and Subaru, a girl with short pink hair turned and said quickly, "o è il Signore Death? abbiamo perso– "

"Er – what?" said Hayate.

"Oh…" The girl who had spoken turned her back on them as them, and as they walked on they distinctly heard her said "Hilde."

"DWMA," muttered Teana.

"Gesundheit," said Subaru.

"No, they go to the DWMA – Death Weapon Meister Academy," said Teana. "I read about it in _An Appraisal of Magical Education._"

"Oh…yeah…right," said Subaru.

"Agito and Rein can't have gone that far," said Hayate, pulling out Schwertkreuz, creating four spheres of white Mana, and squinting up the path. Nanoha reached down her shirt for Raising Heart – but it wasn't there.

"Ah, no, I don't believe it. I've lost Raising Heart!"

"You're kidding!"

Hayate raised the glowing Mana high enough to spread the beams of light further on the ground; Nanoha looked all around her, but her Intelligent Device was nowhere to be seen.

"Maybe it's back at the tent," said Subaru.

"Maybe it fell off when we were running?" Teana suggested anxiously.

"Yeah," said Nanoha, "maybe…"

She usually kept Raising Heart with her at all times in the magical world (ignoring the fact that she is still on Earth), and finding herself without it in the midst of a scene like this made her feel very vulnerable. A rustling noise nearby made all three of them jump. Oola the Twi'lik was fighting her way out of a clump of bushes nearby.

"Why did this have to happen now of all times!" she squeaked distractedly as she leaned forward and stopped for a moment to catch her breath. Her lekku twitched harshly. "No, no, we are not going back there! We are getting out of here!"

And she disappeared into the trees on the other side of the path, though with great difficulty as if something was trying to drag her back to the campsite.

"What's up with her?" said Hayate, looking curiously after Oola. "Was she talking to herself? You don't think she's dangerous, do you?"

"Bet she didn't ask permission to run away," said Nanoha. She was thinking of Vette: every time she had tried to do something the Eberweins wouldn't like, the twi'lik had been forced to start beating herself up out of habit.

"You know, slaves get a _very_ raw deal!" said Subaru indignantly. "There's nothing right about slavery, yet they still do it! That Admiral Crowbel made her go up to the top of the stadium, and she was terrified, and she's got her brainwashed so she can't even run when they start trampling tents! Why doesn't anyone _do _something about it?"

"The TSAB has tried for years to abolish slavery," Hayate said. "But there are some places that even the TSAB has no jurisdiction. Most of them are already born into slavery and don't know a thing besides serving their masters."

"That's what's wrong with the world!" Subaru shouted hotly. "People propping up rotten and unjust systems, just because someone is different and people feel like they can walk all over them! It's no different than how they treat Arrancar like Harribel-Sensei or Combat Cyborgs like – "

Subaru quickly shut her mouth, her eyes wide with panic. Nanoha wondered what she was going to say, but was distracted by another loud bang echoing from the edge of the woods.

"Let's keep moving, shall we?" said Hayate, and Nanoha saw her glance edgily at Teana. Perhaps there was some truth in what Yuri had said; perhaps Teana _was _in more danger than they were. They set off again, Nanoha still searching her pockets, even though she knew Raising Heart wasn't there.

They followed the dark path deeper into the woods still keeping an eye out for Agito, Rein and Vita. They passed a group of Naga who were cackling over a sack of gold that they had undoubtedly won betting on the match, and who seemed quite unperturbed by the trouble at the campsite. Farther still along the path, they walked into a patch of silvery light, and when they looked through the trees, they saw three tall and beautiful Succubus standing in a clearing, surrounded by a gaggle of men and women, all of whom were talking very loudly.

"I pull down about fifty billion credits a year!" one of them shouted. "I'm a dragon slayer for the Fairy Tail Guild. You may have heard my name, the Salamander."

"No, you're not, Bora!" yelled his friend. "You were just kicked out of the Titan Nose guild last week…but I'm a Hunter, I've killed hundreds of Grimms so far – "

A third mage, whose silver hair and eyepatch were visible even by the dim, silvery light of the Succubus, now cut in, "I'm about to become the admiral of my own fleet! The youngest in TSAB history!"

Nanoha snorted with laughter and Subaru groaned into her hands. Both of them recognized Subaru's older sister, First Lieutenant Cinque Nakajima of the TSAB's Special Duty Section Six and the woman who nearly made Nanoha permanent part of the Uminari city street. She turned to tell Hayate this, but Hayate's face had gone oddly slack, and next second Hayate was yelling, "Did I tell you I've invented a time machine into the future?"

"Oh Saint King," said Subaru, and Teana and Nanoha grabbed Hayate firmly by the arms, wheeled her around, and marched her away. By the time the sounds of the Succubus and their admirers had faded completely, they were in the very heart of the woods. They seemed to be alone now; everything was much quieter. Nanoha looked around.

"I think we can just wait here, you know. We'll hear anyone coming a mile off."

The words were hardly out of her mouth, when Setzer Gabbiani emerged from behind a tree right ahead of them. Even by the feeble light of Hayate's Mana, Nanoha could see that a great change had come over Setzer. He no longer looked sleek and handsom; there was no more spring in his step. He looked very white and strained.

"Who's that?" he said, blinking down at them, trying to make out their faces. "What are you doing in here, all alone?"

"Well – there's sort of a riot going on," said Hayate. Setzer stared at her. "You know, at the campsite…some people have started burning everything."

"Damn them!" Setzer swore loudly, looking quite distracted, and without another word, he vanished into the woods.

"Not exactly on top of things, is he?" said Teana, frowning.

"He was a great Striker, tough," said Subaru, leading the way off the path into a small clearing, and sitting down on a patch of dry grass at the foot of a tree. "Mid-Childa won the league three times in a row while he was with them."

Nanoha was listening for noise from the campsite. Everything seemed much quieter; perhaps the riot was over.

"I hope the others are okay," said Teana after a while. "I hope Fate-san managed to get out all right."

"Fate-chan can take care of herself," said Hayate. "And besides, she has Admiral Lindy and Chrono with her."

"Imagine if Lindy or Zafira catches Dearche Eberwein," said Nanoha, sitting down next to Hayate. "Zafira always said he'd like to get something on him."

"That'd wipe the smirk of old Yuri's face, all right," said Hayate.

"Those poor Machlos, though," said Teana nervously. "They didn't deserve what happened."

"Everything's going to be okay, Tea," said Subaru reassuringly. "Promise."

"It's insane, though, to do something like that when the whole Bureau is out here tonight!" said Teana. "I mean, how do they expect to get away with it? Do you think they've been drinking, or are they just – "

But she broke off abruptly and looked over her shoulder. Nanoha, Hayate, and Subaru looked around quickly too. It sounded as though someone was staggering toward their clearing. They waited, listening to the sounds of uneven steps behind the dark trees. But the footsteps came to a sudden halt.

"Hello?" called Nanoha. There was silence. Nanoha got to her feet and peered around the tree. It was too dark to see very far, but she could sense somebody standing just beyond the range of her vision. "Who's there?"

And then, without warning, the silence was rent by a voice unlike any they had heard in the woods; and it uttered, not a panicked shout, but what sounded like a spell.

"**SATANIC BUSTER!**"

Nanoha was blasted to her back by an explosion of crimson Mana that erupted from the patch of darkness Nanoha's eyes had been struggling to penetrate; it flew up over the treetops and into the sky.

"What the - ?" gasped Hayate as she sprang to her feet again, staring up at the thing that had appeared.

For a split second, Nanoha thought it was just another fairy formation. Then she realized that it was a colossal star, comprised of what looked like blood red rubies, but one of the points had been broken off, leaving a large crack in the star. As they watched, it rose higher and higher, blazing in a haze of redish smoke, etched against the black sky like a new constellation.

Suddenly, the woods all around them erupted with screams. Nanoha didn't understand why, but the only possible cause was the sudden appearance of the broken star, which had now risen high enough to illuminate the entire woods like some grisly neon sign. She scanned the darkness for the person who had conjured the star, but she couldn't see anyone.

"Who's there?" she called.

"Nanoha-san, come on, _move_!" Teana had seized the collar of her jacket and was tugging her backward.

"What's the matter?" Nanoha said, startled to see her face so white and terrified.

"It's the Morning Star, Nanoha-san!" Teana moaned, pulling her as hard as she could. "It's a sign that means 'The Beginning of the End'! It's the Dark Queen's sign!"

"_Stern's - _?"

"Nanoha-san, come _on_!"

Nanoha turned and the four of them started across the clearing – but before they had taken a few hurried steps, a series of black portals popped around them announcing the arrival of twenty mages, surrounding them. Nanoha whirled around, and in an instant, she registered one fact: each of the mages had their staffs out, and every staff was pointing right at herself, Hayate, Teana, and Subaru.

Without pausing to think, she yelled, "DUCK!"

She pushed the three of them to the ground just as twenty voices roared their spells – there was a blinding series of flashes and Nanoha felt the hair on her head ripple as though a powerful wind had swept the clearing. Raising her head a fraction of an inch she saw jets of poisonous green light flying over them from the mages' staffs, crossing one another, bouncing off tree trunks, rebounding into the darkness –

"Stop!" yelled a voice she recognized. "STOP! _That's my sister_!"

Nanoha's hair stopped blowing about. She raised her head a little higher. The mage in front of her had lowered her staff. She rolled over and saw Zafira striding toward them looking terrified.

"Nanoha – Hayate" – her voice sounded shaky – "Teana – Subaru – are you all right?"

"Out of the way, Zafira," said a cold, curt voice. It was Admiral Crowbel. She and the other Bureau mages were closing in on them. Nanoha got to her feet to face them. Admiral Crowbel's face was taut with rage. "Which of you did it? Which of you conjured the Morning Star?"

"We didn't do that!" said Nanoha, gesturing up at the broken star.

"We didn't do anything!" said Hayate, who was rubbing her elbow and looking indignantly at Lindy. "What did you attack us for?"

"Do not lie!" shouted Admiral Crowbel. Her Device was still pointing directly at Hayate, and her eyes were popping – she looked slightly insane. "You have been discovered at the scene of the crime!"

"Midget," whispered a woman in a long woolen nightgown, "they're kids, Midget, they'd never have been able to – "

"Where did the Star come from, you four?" said Zafira quickly.

"Over there," said Teana shakily, pointing at the place where they had heard the voice. "There was someone behind the tree…they shouted words – a spell – "

"Oh, stood over there, did they?" said Admiral Crowbel, turning her popping eyes on Teana now, disbelief etched all over her face. "Said a spell, did they? You seem very well informed about how that Star is summoned, little lady – "

But none of the Bureau mages apart from Admiral Crowbel seemed to think remotely that Nanoha, Hayate, Teana, or Subaru had conjured the broken star; on the contrary, at Teana's words, they had all raised their staffs again and were pointing in the direction she had indicated, squinting through the dark trees.

"We're too late," said the woman in the woolen nightgown, shaking her head. "They'll have used the Corridors by now."

"I don't think so," said Admiral Lindy, appearing at Admiral Crowbel's shoulder. "Our Stunners went right through these trees. There's a good chance we got them…"

"Lindy, be careful!" said a few mages warningly as Lindy squared her shoulders, raised her staff, marched across the clearing, and disappeared into the darkness. Teana watched her vanish with her hands over her mouth. A few seconds later, they heard Lindy shout.

"Yes! We got them! There's someone here! Unconcious! It's – but – Saint King…"

"You've got someone?" shouted Admiral Crowbel, sounding highly disbelieving. "Who? Who is it?"

They heard snapping twigs, the rustling of leaves, and then crunching footsteps as Lindy reemerged from behind the trees. She was dragging a limp, green-skinned figure out of the woods. Nanoha recognized the towel loincloth. It was Oola. Admiral Crowbel did not move or speak as Lindy deposited her slave on the ground at her feet. The other Bureau mages were all staring at Admiral Crowbel. For a few seconds Admiral Crowbel remained transfixed, her eyes blazing in her white face as she stared down at Oola. Then she appeared to come to life again.

"This – cannot – be," she said jerkily. "No – "

She moved quickly around Lindy and strode off toward the place where she found Oola.

"No point, Midget," Lindy called after her. "There's no one else there." But Admiral Crowbel did not seem prepared to take her word for it. They could hear her moving around and the rustling of leaves as she pushed the bushes aside, searching. "Bit embarrassing. Midget Crowbel's own servant…I mean to say…"

"Come off it, Lindy," said Zafira quietly, "you don't seriously think it was the slave? The Morning Star is a mage's sign. It requires and Intelligent Device."

"Yeah," said Lindy, "and she _had _an Intelligent Device."

"_What_?" said Zafira.

"Here, look," Lindy held out her hand to Zafira and showed it to him. "Had it in her hand. So that's clause three of the Code of Conduct broken, for a start. _No unregistered life forms, human or otherwise, are permitted to carry or use an Intelligent Device_."

The Corridors of Darkness opened, and Setzer Gabbiani appeared right next to Zafira. Looking breathless and disoriented, he spun on the spot, goggling upward at the ruby-red star.

"The Morning Star!" he panted, almost trampling Oola as he turned inquiringly to his colleagues. "Who did it? Did you get them? Midget! What's going on?" Admiral Crowbel had returned empty-handed. Her face was still ghostly white, and her hands and were twitching anxiously. "Where have you been, Midget? Why weren't you at the match? You slave was savin you a seat too – Saint King!" He had just noticed Oola lying at his feet. "What happened to _her_?"

"I have been busy, Setzer," said Admiral Crowbel, still talking in the same jerky fashion, barely moving her lips. "And my slave has been stunned."

"Stunned? By you lot, you mean? But why - ?" Comprehension dawned suddenly on Setzer's handsome, scarred face; he looked up at the broken star, down at Oola, and then at Admiral Crowbel. "_No!_ Oola? Conjured the Morning Star? She wouldn't know how! She'd need an Intelligent Device, for a start!"

"And she had one," said Lindy. "I found her holding one, Setzer. If it's all right with you, Admiral, I think we should hear what she's got to say for herself."

Admiral Crowbel gave no sign that she had heard Lindy, but Lindy seemed to take her silence for assent. She pulled Oola into a sitting position and lightly slapped her face. Oola stirred feebly. He wide green eyes opened and she blinked several times in a bemused sort of way. She caught sight of Admiral Crowbel's feet, and slowly, tremulously, raised her eyes to stare up into her face; then, more slowly, she looked into the sky. Nanoha could see the broken star reflected twice in her wide, glassy eyes. She gave a gasp, looked wildly around the crowded clearing, and burst into terrified sobs.

"It's okay, Oola, it's okay," said Lindy calmly, trying to soother her. "I am Admiral Lindy Harlaown-Testarossa, of the Dimensional Navy's 108 Battalion. I know this is difficult, but I need to ask you some questions." Oola began rocking back and forth on the ground, her breathing coming in sharp bursts. Nanoha was reminded forcibly of Vette in her moments of terrified disobedience. "The Morning Star was conjured here a short while ago and you were discovered beneath it. Would you mind giving us an explanation why?"

"I – I – I didn't do it, sir!" Oola gasped. "I wouldn't know how, sir!"

"I would like to believe you, but you were discovered holding an Intelligent Device in your hand," said Lindy, holding out the Device in her hand. And as the Device caught the red light that was filling the clearing from the star above, Nanoha recognized its round shape and scarlet glint.

"Raising Heart!" she shouted.

Everyone in the clearing looked at her.

"Excuse me?" said Lindy.

"That's my Intelligent Device!" said Nanoha. "I dropped it!"

"You dropped it?" repeated Admiral Crowbel in disbelief. "Is this a confession? You threw it aside after you conjured the Star?"

"Midget, think who you're talking to!" said Zafira, very angrily. "Is _Nanoha Takamachi_ likely to conjure the Morning Star?"

"Er – of course not," mumbled Admiral Crowbel. "Sorry…carried away…"

"I didn't drop it in there, anyway," said Nanoha, jerking her thumb toward the trees beneath the star. "I missed it right after we got into the woods."

"Oola," said Lindy. "Did you know about this Intelligent Device? Did you pick it up before or after the Morning Star appeared?"

"I didn't do anything with it, sir!" squealed Oola, tears streaming down her face. "I didn't…I didn't…I just picked it up, sir! I didn't make the Morning Star, sir, I don't know how!"

"It wasn't her!" said Subaru. She looked very nervous, speaking up in front of all these Bureau officials, yet determined all the same. "The voice we heard doing the spell had a deeper voice, like a man!" She looked around at Nanoha, Hayate, and Teana for their support. "It didn't sound anything like Oola, did it?"

"No," said Nanoha, shaking her head. "It definitely sounded like a grown man. Probably human."

"While, there's one piece of evidence we can investigate," said Lindy, though looking unimpressed. "But just to be sure, let's check Raising Heart's data records. All Intelligent Devices contain a record of all the spells they have cast since they were activated. It makes investigations that much easier."

Lindy tapped the surface of Raising Heart and a pink, holographic keypad appeared – Nanoha was unaware of that function. Lindy pressed a quick set of numbers and stepped back. Nanoha heard Teana gasp, horrified, as a gigantic broken star erupted above Raising Heart, but it was a mere shadow of the red skull high above them: the ghost of a spell.

"This…is very bad," said Lindy uncomfortably, looking down upon Oola, who was still shaking convulsively.

"I didn't do it!" she squealed, her eyes rolling in terror. "I didn't do it, I didn't, I don't know how! I'm a good servant, I can't use Devices, I don't know how."

"The evidence is weighted against you, Oola," said Lindy. "You were found with the Intelligent Device that cast the spell. The circumstances are almost undeniable."

"Lindy," said Zafira, "think about it…precious few mages know how to do that spell. Here would she have learned it?"

"Perhaps Lindy is suggesting," said Admiral Crowbel, cold anger in every syllable, "that I routinely teach my servants to conjure the Morning Star."

"I wouldn't be entirely out of the realm of possibility," said Lindy sternly; a few Bureau officials gasped.

"You have now come very close to accusing the two people in this clearing who are the _least_ likely to conjure that Star!" barked Admiral Crowbel. "Nanoha Takamachi – and myself! I suppose you are familiar with the girl's story, Lindy?"

"Firstly, yes, I have," said Lindy firmly. "And second, you were the one who accused her. Have a good reason for that?"

"A good reason?" Admiral Crowbel shouted, her eyes bulging again. "Do you know who I am? I have given plenty of proof, over a long career, that I despise and detest the Dark Arts and those who practice them!"

"Since you are willing to bring up your past, perhaps you are willing to shed some light on things," said Lindy, now fully glaring at Crowbel. "There are plenty of inconsistencies in your history with the Time-Space Administration Bureau, particularly pertaining to your activities during the last war."

"I don't have to stand here and listen to your unfounded accusations!" screamed Admiral Crowbel.

"Let's calm down, everyone," said Zafira, stepping between the admirals. "Let's think about this for a moment. We don't know if anyone taught it to her. She could have picked it up anywhere. Oola?" he said kindly, turning to the slave, but she flinched as though he too was shouting at her. "Where exactly did you find Nanoha's Device?"

I – I found it…found it in there, sir…," Oola whispered, twisting the hem of her towel violently, "there…in the trees, sir…"

"You see, Lindy," said Zafira. "Whoever conjured the Morning Star could have escaped through the Corridors right after they'd done it, leaving Nanoha's Device behind. A cleaver thing to do, not using their own Device, which could have betrayed them. And Oola here had the misfortune to come across Raising Heart moments later and pick it up."

"I would love to ask Raising Heart myself about this," said Lindy. "Unfortunately, it appears she had been in Sleep Mode since the beginning of the Riot Force Cup – she'll have no conscious recollection of who the user was."

"Lindy," said Admiral Crowbel curtly, "I am fully aware that, in the ordinary course of events, you would want to take Oola into custody for questioning. I ask you, however, to allow me to deal with her." Lindy looked as though she didn't think much of this suggestion, but she could say anything against her superior. Despite both of them having the same rank, Crowbel was still a member of the High Council and thus had greater authority over Lindy. "You may rest assured that she will be punished."

"M-m-master…" Oola stammered, looking up at Admiral Crowbel, her eyes brimming with tears. "M-m-master, p-p-please…"

Admiral Crowbel stared back, her face somehow sharpened, each line upon it more deeply etched. There was no pity in her gaze.

"Oola has behaved tonight in a manner I would not have believed possible," she said slowly. "I told her to remain in the tent. I told her to stay there while I went to sort out the trouble. And I find that she disobeyed me. _Oola, you are fired!_"

"No!" shrieked Oola, prostrating herself at Admiral Crowbel's feet. "No, master! Please forgive me! I'll be a better slave, I promise!"

"But she was frightened!" Subaru burst out angrily, glaring at Admiral Crowbel. "Your servant's scared of heights, and those men in the hoods were burning everything to the ground! You can't blame her for wanting to get out of their way!"

Admiral Crowbel took a step backward, freeing herself from contact with the twi'lik, whom she was surveying as though she were something filthy and rotted that was contaminating her over-shined boots.

"I have no use in a slave who disobeys me," she said coldly, looking over at Subaru. "And I would hold my tongue if I were you, Miss Nakajima. Yes, I know who you are. If Genya had not persuaded me years ago, you and your sisters would be locked up in Gefangnis where you belong."

Nanoha could hear Subaru's knuckles popping from her tightened grip. Oola was crying so hard that her sobs echoed around the clearing. There was a very nasty silence, which was ended by Zafira, who said quietly, "Well, I think I'll take these girls back to the tent, if nobody's got any objections. Lindy, that Device's told us all it can – if Nanoha could have it back, please – "

Lindy tossed Raising Heart to Nanoha and Nanoha pocketed her.

"Come on, you four," Zafira said quietly. But Subaru didn't seem to want to move; her eyes were still locked with Crowbel's, burning with anger. "Subaru!" Zafira said, more urgently. She turned and followed Nanoha, Hayate, and Teana out of the clearing and off through the trees.

"What's going to happen to Oola?" said Subaru, the moment they had left the clearing.

"I don't know," said Zafira.

"The way Crowbel was treating her!" said Subaru furiously. "She knows she didn't do it and she's still going to fire her! She didn't care how frightened she'd been, or how upset she was – it was like she wasn't even human!"

"Well, she's not," said Hayate; Teana slapped her in the shoulder.

"That doesn't mean she hasn't got feelings, Hayate-san!" shouted Subaru. "It's disgusting the way – "

"Subaru, I agree with you," said Zafira quickly, beckoning her on, "but now is not the time to discuss slave rights. I want to get back to the tent as fast as we can. What happened to the others?"

"We lost them in the dark," said Hayate. "Zafira, why was everyone so uptight about that star thing?"

I'll explain everything back at the tent," said Zafira tensely.

But when they reached the edge of the wood, their progress was impeded. A large crowd of frightened-looking men and women was congregated there, and when they saw Zafira coming toward them, many surged forward.

"What's going on in there?"

"Who conjured it?"

"Zafira – it's not – _Her_?"

"Of course it's not Her," said Zafira impatiently. "We don't know who it was; it looks like they escaped. Now excuse me, please, I want to go to bed."

He lead Nanoha, Hayate, Teana, and Subaru through the crowd and back into the campsite. All was quiet now; there was no sign of the masked men, though several ruined tents were still smoking. Agito's head was poking out of the tent.

"Zafira, what's going on?" she called through the dark. "We got back okay, but the others – "

"I've got them here," said Zafira, bending down and entering the tent.

Nanoha, Hayate, Teana, and Subaru entered after him. Signum was sitting at the small kitchen table, holding a bed sheet to her arm, which was bleeding profusely. Agito, Rein, and Vita looked unhurt, though shaken.

"Did you get them, Zafira?" said Signum sharply. "The person who conjured the Star?"

"No," said Zafira. "We found Midget Crowbel's slave holding Nanoha's Device, but we're none the wiser about who actually conjured it."

"_What?_" said Rein.

"Nanoha's Device?" said Agito.

"_Admiral Crowbel's slave?_" said Signum sounding thunderstruck.

With some assistance from Nanoha, Hayate, Teana, and Subaru, Zafira explained what had happened in the woods. When they had finished their story, Signum swelled indignantly.

"Well, Admiral Crowbel is quite right to get rid of a slave like that!" she said. "Running away when she'd expressly told her not to…embarrassing her in front of the whole Bureau…how would that have looked, if she'd been brought up in front of the courts – "

"She didn't do anything – she was just in the wrong place at the wrong time!" Subaru snapped at Signum, who looked very taken aback. Subaru had been one of the few at St. Hilde who looked up to Signum as a strong and capable mage.

"Subaru, a woman in Admiral Crowbel's position can't afford a slave who's going to run amok with an Intelligent Device!" said Signum pompously, recovering herself.

"She didn't run amok!" shouted Subaru. She just picked it up off the ground!"

"Look, can someone just explain what that star thing was?" said Hayate impatiently. "It wasn't hurting anyone. Why's it such a big deal?"

"I told you, it's the Dark Queen's symbol, Hayate-san," said Teana, before anyone else can answer. "I read about it in _The Rise and Fall of the Dark Arts_."

"And it hasn't been seen for thirteen years," said Zafira quietly. "Of course people panicked…it was almost like seeing he Dark Queen back again."

"I don't get it," said Hayate, frowning. "I mean…it's still only a shape in the sky…"

"Hayate, the Dark Queen and her followers sent the Morning Star into the air whenever they killed," said Zafira. "The terror it inspired…you have no idea, you're too young. Just picture coming home and finding the Morning Star hovering over your house, and knowing what you're about to find inside. Everyone's worst fear…the very worst…"

There was silence for a moment. Then Signum removing the sheet from her arm to check on her cut, said, "Well, it didn't help us tonight, whoever conjured it. It scared the Hellions away the moment they saw it. They all escaped through the Corridors before we'd got close enough to unmask any of them."

"Hellions?" said Nanoha. "What are Hellions?"

"It's what the Dark Queen's supporters call themselves," said Signum "I think we saw what's left of them tonight – the ones who managed to keep themselves out of Gefangnis, anyway."

"We can't prove it was them, Signum," said Zafira. "Though it probably was."

"Yeah, I bet it was!" said Hayate suddenly. "Zafira, we met Yuri Eberwein in the woods, and she as good as told us her mother was one of those freaks in the masks! And we all know the Eberweins were right in the Dark Queen!"

"But what are Stern's supporters – " Nanoha began. Everyone flinches – like most of the magical world, they always avoided saying Stern the Destructor's name. "Sorry. What are the Dark Queen's supporters up to, burning the camp? I mean, what's the point?"

"The point? Said Zafira with a hollow laugh. "Nanoha, that their idea of fun. Half the killings back when the Dark Queen was in power were done for fun. I suppose they had a few drinks tonight and couldn't resist reminding us all that lots of them are still at large. A nice little reunion for them."

"But if they _were_ the Hellions, why did they leave when they saw the Morning Star?" said Hayate. "They'd have been pleased to see it, wouldn't they?"

"Use your brain, Hayate," said Signum. "If they really were Hellions, they worked very hard to keep out of Gefangnis when the Dark Queen lost power, and told all sorts of lies about her forcing them to kill and torture people. I bet they'd be even more frightened than the rest of us to see her come back. They denied they'd ever been involved with her when she lost her powers, and went back to their daily lives. I don't think she'd be over-pleased with them, do you?"

"So…whoever conjured the Morning Star…" said Subaru slowly, "were they doing it to show support for the Hellions, or to scare them away?"

"Your guess is as good as ours, Subaru," said Zafira. "But I'll tell you this…it was only the Hellions who ever knew how to conjure it. I'd be very surprised if the person who did it hadn't been a Hellion once, even if they're not now. Listen, it's very late, and if Shamal hears what's happened she'll be worried sick. We'll get a few more hours sleeps and then try and get an early Hiraishin out of here."

Nanoha got back into her bunk with her head buzzing. She knew she ought to feel exhausted: it was nearly three in the morning, but she felt wide-awake – wide-awake and worried. Three days ago – it felt like much longer, but it had only been three days – she had awoken with her scar burning. And tonight, for the first time in thirteen years, Stern the Destructor's mark had appeared in the sky. What did these things mean?

She thought of the letter she had written to Arf before leaving Erika Road. Would Arf have gotten it yet? When would she reply? Nanoha lay looking up at the canvas, but no flying fantasies came to her now to ease her to sleep, and it was a long time after Subaru's snores filled the tent that Nanoha finally dozed off.

* * *

**All hell literally breaks loose at the Riot Force Cup and Subaru brings the political smack down on Admiral Crowbel. In the next chapter, Nanoha and company return to the Yagami Orphanage for a surprise, Zafira comes under fire from the TSAB, and Nanoha puts on a fashion show with her new Barrier Jacket? Is the Morning Star a sign of Stern the Destructor's imminent return? Who was the man that led the assault of the Hellions? And what dark secret is Subaru keeping from the rest of the cast? Find out next time on the Grand – Magic - Games!**

* * *

**~Nanoha's Corner~**

**1: Little Red Badass**

The Hellions were marching through the burning remains of the campfire, laughing drunkenly and breaking into songs about hellfire and unbirthday parties. One of the Hellions pointed at another tent and laughed as it exploded in a shower of crimson sparks. But after the tent had been blown away, he saw someone standing in the middle of the campground, reading a magazine as if they had not noticed that the world had gone to hell around them.

The slow-witted person was small and female wearing a crimson cape and hood with her back turned to the Hellion. The man grunted irritably and marched on over to her, holding out his sword-Device to her back.

"All right, kid, put your hands up and I might only hurt you a little," said the Hellion.

The red-hooded girl never looked away from her magazine. Growling angrily, he grabbed her by the shoulder and forced her to turn around, throwing off her hood. The girl looked like a teenager barely a year older than Nanoha and her friends. She had short, maroon hair and a unique pair of silver eyes that were staring at him curiously. She was wearing headphones that, he could tell, were blasted at full volume. The Hellion's lip curled and pointed to his ears, gesturing her to remove the headphones.

"Yes?" said the girl innocently, taking off the headphones.

"I said, put your hands in the air," the Hellion repeated.

"Are you…robbing me?" asked the girl.

"No, I'm gonna kill you, ya idiot!" shouted the Hellion.

"Oh…" said the girl.

Without warning, the girl hopped off the ground, shouting "HI-YA!" as she kicked the Hellion in the face. A group of Hellions who were walking by at the time stopped in their tracks as one of their own was sent flying through the air, smashing into a cart of decorative flowers. The Hellion group spun around to the little redhead, who had pocketed her headphones with a confident smirk. A moment later, six Hellions had surrounded the girl, pointing their sword-Devices at her.

"Little lady, you picked the wrong guys to mess with," said one of the Hellions.

Little Red Hood's grin stretched wider. She reached under her cape to retrieve a compacted mass of red steel and then, to the Hellion's fright, the compact steel morphed into a gigantic scythe the size of Little Red, the blade cutting a wide scar into the ground. The Hellions looked at their weapons…then to the scythe…then to their weapons again…then back at the scythe. The Hellions dropped their Devices and ran away in the opposite direction, screaming like little girls.

"That'll teach ya not to mess with me!" shouted Little Red, pounding her scythe in the ground as emphasis. There was a click, a loud gunshot, and something dropped dead on the ground at her feet. "Birdie, no!"


End file.
